“Redemption time”: Fans react as Houston’s Emanuel Sharp makes transfer portal decision

Houston guard Emanuel Sharp had a stellar season with the Cougars and helped lead team to the national championship game, where they lost 65-63 to the Florida Gators. On Thursday, Sharp announced that he will return to Houston for an extra year instead of declaring for the 2025 NBA Draft.

Sharp was part of the defining moment of the national championship game when he was tightly defended by Gators star Walter Clayton Jr. in the final seconds of the game. The intense pressure forced Sharp into a fumble and a fumble and a costly turnover, which sealed the win for Florida.

College basketball fans on Instagram had mixed reactions to Emanuel Sharp opting against declaring for the draft and instead staying in college basketball.

"Don't sleep on Houston," one fan said.

"Let's goooooo," another fan said.

"I trust sharpshooter will bring us to a win next year. Don't sleep on Houston. I'll evaluate his career over a few seconds, thank you. GoCOOGS!" one fan said.

Here are some more reactions from fans.

"Redemption time," one fan said.

"AAHHHH LFGGGG. Run it back, yes sir," another fan said.

"LFGG HUGE," one fan said.

Fan's comments on IG (Credits: @recruitsnews Instagram)

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Emanuel Sharp received support after natty mistake

Not only was Emanuel Sharp part of the costly turnover during the national championship game against the Florida Gators, but he also conceded two turnovers in the final minute during which the Houston Cougars did not muster a single shot to tie the game.

During his postgame news conference after the national championship game, Houston coach Kelvin Sampson showed his frustration at the turnover by Sharp but also offered him his support for his stellar game against Walter Clayton Jr.

"At the end you’ve got to get a shot," Kelvin Sampson said. "You’ve got to do better than that. ... He (Sharp) probably should have shot faked that. I told him I loved him. I told him I loved him, and I really focused on the job he did on Clayton. He did an awesome job on him. He made a couple reads that I'm sure he wishes he'd had over, but we don't get there without that kid."

Sharp played a crucial role in locking down Florida standout Clayton Jr. who came into the natty game averaging 24 points during the Big Dance. Due to Sharp's relentless defensive pressure, Clayton finished the first half without scoring a point and finished the game with 11 points.

Emanuel Sharp averaged 12.6 points, 41.8% shooting from the floor and 40.7% shooting from beyond the arc, 3.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists for the Cougars during the 2024-25 season. He was crucial for the Cougars during their Big Dance run to the natty game and was named the Midwest Region Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Tournament.