Coyote TV - High Desert Advocate

Danika Sharp signs with UNR

 

Danika's AAU coach David Hammer, Kathy Druham, Scott Carsrud, Craig Kylonen, Danika Sharp

 Danika thanks Dad John & Mom Barrie

The Sharps; Kaydn, Barrie, John, Kylar & Danika

Danika with grandmother Carmen Worstell

Danika with grandparents Linda & Roland Sharp

Like all small towns Wendover has its share of local high school sports legends:  the Wendover, Utah High School baseball program which dominated their league for much of the 1990’s.
    Then there were the state championships of the West Wendover Boys Basketball teams of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s and the improbable Football State Crown in 2003.
    And there have been individual stand outs Donnie Anderson and Rocky Brown who shined on the baseball Diamond, Richy Dickson and Mike Crawford who dominated the courts. Bubbah Nichols, Casey Crawford, Sam Copelan and Wesley Mitchel on the grid iron.
    Local female athletes have also had their share of laurels like Brittany Crawford and Lysette Perez who shined in volleyball, basketball and softball.
    Wendover has even had its state MVP’s like Jared Lewis and Louis Perez in basketball and football respectfully.
    But in the future when the conversation turns to the question of who was the greatest local athlete ever there will be only one answer: Danika Sharp.
    Last week Sharp now a senior at West Wendover High formally signed with the University of Nevada, Reno girls basketball team a Class I NCAA school.
   Stellar high school athletes are plentiful and while putting up record numbers and wowing a hometown crowd are an laudable achievements by themselves, it takes the trained eye of a college scout to discern the difference between a good or even great prep school player and one who can make the leap to college competition.
    For Wendover which never had a graduating class over 60 interest in Wolverines athletes has been few and very far between. A person can count on one hand the number of past Wolverines who received even partial athletic scholarships to attend even the smaller universities or junior colleges.
    Rarer still is interest from NCAA university, let alone one with a nationally recognized program, what was unheard was the offer of a full scholarship to a top tier NCAA school and to a student with one more season of high school basketball to play.
    The 5’9” starting guard holds or will hold just about every WWHS record on the court with 1881 career points (ninth in the nation), 367 steals, 289 assists and 451 rebounds and is the heavy favorite to repeat as Nevada’s Most Valuable Player in the AA Nevada league.
    Last season alone, on a team that did not make the playoffs Sharp finished with 832 points in 28 games, putting her in 2nd in the record books. Sharp also secured the #2 position in steals for a season with 185.
    Still even with all those records, the question remained ‘Just how good is she?’
    UNR’s offer along with offers from 20 other top NCAA schools would appear to answer the question with a resounding “YES.”
    UNR won out over the 20 other suitors for several reasons said her father John.
    “She really got on well with the coach and the fact that it is in state and not to far from home was a big plus.” He said in a telephone interview. “Also because of the make up of the team she will probably see some real playing time as a freshman.”
    Last season, Nevada reached the championship game of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament for the first time in program history.