McGee-Sharp playing through pain

By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Kaunaoa McGee-Sharp can't seem to catch a break.

Broken bones are nothing new to Assumption College senior forward Kaunaoa McGee-Sharp. Courtesy of Assumption College

In a three-week span earlier this basketball season, the 1998 Kaiser graduate from Hawai'i Kai broke his nose during practice with Assumption College teammates, got his two front teeth knocked out in a game, and partially tore the meniscus in his right knee, broke a finger and suffered a black eye.

All this on top of having to overcome ankle surgery in 2002.

"It is just tough when you think one injury is done, and you keep getting more," said McGee-Sharp, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound forward for the NCAA Division II school in Worcester, Mass. "I can laugh about it now, but it was pretty frustrating for a few weeks."

The injuries apparently haven't slowed McGee-Sharp. He was named the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Week for Dec. 29 and the Most Valuable Player of the Marriott Courtyard Classic III after averaging 25 points and eight rebounds as Assumption captured the tournament title.

It is extra special, considering the senior almost couldn't play this season after discovering that 40 percent of his ankle joint chipped off in 2002.

"For a while even I thought I wasn't going to play again because of the way it felt," McGee-Sharp said.

He missed all of last year, and Assumption coach Tom Ackerman said that the team felt his absence.

"He was the one player on the team who could just take a game over," Ackerman said. "When he sat out last year, we really missed that. Last year, we were very inconsistent, we could never put together two games in a row. This year, he stepped up.

"It's been a rough year for him, but sitting out last year has made him appreciate being able to play, so it is tough to keep him out of the lineup."

McGee-Sharp must still endure physical therapy, friction massage, electric stimulation, ultrasound, and "everything and anything that makes me feel better" to treat his ankle.

This season he is second on the team in scoring, with 15.1 points per game. He also averages 5.1 rebounds per game, and averages 28.6 minutes per game.

Selected as a co-captain last season, McGee-Sharp said it "helped me to stay sane. Being so far from home and not having basketball, as a captain I had to put my personal feelings aside for the betterment of the team. It helped me get through a really tough time."

Ackerman said that McGee-Sharp, a co-captain again, stepped up his leadership role this year.

"He has really tried to give us that leadership that every team needs very much," Ackerman said.

McGee-Sharp, called "O" by Assumption teammates, coaches and fans, transferred there his sophomore year after walking on to the University of Hawai'i basketball team in 1999.

He won the slam dunk contest in that season's Midnight Ohana. "It was great because of the fans and the fact that my brothers and family were there," he said. "I remember going to my brother's games and watching him play, and to have him watching me, supporting me, that was a nice feeling."

But he decided to transfer to Assumption to create his own path instead of being in the shadows of his brothers, former Rainbow basketball player Kalia McGee and professional bodyboarder Kainoa McGee.

"UH didn't feel like the right place for me and I wanted to do my own thing," he said.

Because of his injury last year, he is applying for a medical hardship with the NCAA.

"I kinda like being in college," said McGee-Sharp, a business administration major. "I like the college lifestyle and not having any responsibilities. Many people don't get the chance to play basketball and earn a master's degree for free."

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2457.