Ole Miss’ Jamarion Sharp named to watchlist for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award

Ole Miss center Jamarion Sharp on Friday was announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as one of its 20 watchlist members for the 2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award.

Sharpe — in his first Ole Miss season, but last in college basketball following an off-season transfer from Western Kentucky — is the tallest player in college basketball (7-foot-5) for the third straight season.

He’s already established himself as one of the most prolific shot-blockers in NCAA history. Sharp totaled 279 blocks over the previous two seasons. As a result, he became just the fifth player ever to lead the nation in blocked shots twice in a career.

Sharp averaged 4.36 per game. He enters the 2023-24 campaign with the 10th-highest shot-blocking mark in NCAA history.

“In college basketball, normally you say 7-foot, people wonder, ‘Man, is he really 6-10?’ Nobody says 7-foot if you’re 7-1. They say 7-1,” first-year Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard said. 

“So, this will be special coaching two talents.”

Oklahoma State transfer Moussa Cisse is the other Ole Miss 7-footer.

Cisse, however, is awaiting an approved waiver from the NCAA for a final season of eligibility. Sharp is fully available to the Rebels now, including in their four-point loss to Houston in a recent scrimmage. 

The Cougars last season were a Top 10 team and one of four No. 1 national seeds in the NCAA Tournament.

“Both guys are dominant defensive players,” Beard said. “But Sharp, just like Moussa, has a ceiling to his game. His height doesn’t define him. I believe Sharp would be a Division l college basketball player if he was 6-7. 

“He’s not just a tall guy (or) a shot-blocker. He’s got some skill to his game.”

Sharp has been no stranger to preseason recognition over his college career.

This marks the second year in a row Sharp was named to the watchlist for Center of the Year. He was also a semifinalist for the 2022 Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year and 2022 Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year. 

Sharp was also a watchlist selection to the 2023 Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year. He picked up All-Conference USA honors last season. Sharp averaged 7.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. His 131 blocks led the nation.

“Chris Beard’s teams are known for their defensive prowess and utilize a system known as ‘no middle,’ which specializes in forcing ball handlers to the baseline and sidelines,” Keenan Womack of Orangebloods said of Beard’s system, in a previous interview with the Ole Miss Spirit. 

Ole Miss would be the fourth separate program Beard has led to the NCAA Tournament since 2016. The others are UALR, Texas Tech and Texas. His 2019 Red Raiders reached the national championship game.

Womack added, “Using the out of bounds as another defender, essentially. The primary objective of the no-middle defense is to keep dribble penetration out of the paint to prevent easy looks at the rim.

“The system puts an emphasis on icing ball screens.”

Ole Miss will hold an exhibition with Tusculum October 30 at 7 p.m. CT before officially tipping off the regular season November 6 against Alabama State at 7 p.m. CT.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Watchlist

Aaron Bradshaw, Kentucky
Aday Mara, UCLA
Armando Bacot, UNC
Aziz Bandaogo, Cincinnati
Branden Carlson, Utah
Clifford Omoruyi, Rutgers
Dawson Garcia, Minnesota
Donovan Clingan, UConn
Eric Dixon, Villanova
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
Jamarion Sharp, Ole Miss
Jesse Edwards, West Virginia
Joel Soriano, St. Johns
Johni Broome, Auburn
Jordan Brown, Memphis
Kel’el Ware, Indiana
N’Faly Dante, Oregon
Oumar Ballo, Arizona
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Zach Edey, Purdue