”]Red Bay principal Kenny Sparks, Wallace State head coach Ron Burdette, Red Bay assistant coach John Torisky, Hannah’s mother DeAnnette Sharp, Hannah’s father Doug Sharp, and Red Bay girl’s head coach Donnie Roberts.RED BAY —Hannah Sharp of Red Bay will soon join her sisters Kirsten and Whitney in the ranks of college athletes.

What separates Hannah from her older sisters is the sport she will be playing.

Sharp signed with Wallace State Community College on Monday morning to play the sport she is best known for in Red Bay: basketball.

“I like basketball,” Sharp said. “I like running up and down the court with the ball and the adrenaline rush I get.”

Kirsten Sharp plays softball for Point University in Atlanta, while Whitney Sharp plays softball for Snead State in Boaz. All three of the Sharp sisters went to Red Bay, where their athletic talents will now surely be missed.

“I’m glad for her, but sad to see her go,” Red Bay girl’s basketball head coach Donnie Roberts said.

“I don’t know if she can be replaced. I’ve coached a lot of good players, but a player of her caliber will be hard to replace. The Sharp girls had a major impact on Red Bay sports.”

The caliber of player that Sharp is, alluded to by Coach Roberts, shows in the level of competition that had their eyes on her as a possible player.

“I think it’s a great fit for Hannah,” Roberts said. “She had some interest from some Division II four years, but I’m so glad she chose Wallace. She’ll get some playing time there, and I can see her doing well with them.”

Signing with a college team on any level comes with its own highs and lows.

Sharp can carry on with playing the sport she loves, but at the same time she must transition to being away from home, just as so many other college-bound students before her.

“I’m excited about playing in college,” Sharp said. “It’s perfect. I like Wallace and the coach.”

Sharp was a star player for Red Bay, but she expects that things will not change much at the next level.

“I’ll have to do the same things there, just maybe not as much,” Sharp said.

The lows of leaving home are felt keenly by all parties, but it is the parents who feel it most.

“We’re thrilled and excited for her,” DeAnnette Sharp, Hannah’s mother, said. “It’s what she’s always wanted. She’ll be the closest of the three we have.”

“We are excited for Hannah and proud that she’s going where she is,” Doug Sharp, Hannah’s father, said. “[Wallace] is a good program, and she’ll fit right in.”

On hand for the signing was Wallace State head girl’s basketball coach Ron Burdette, who discussed how Hannah had come to his attention as a recruit.

“We’ve had several of Coach Roberts’ players at Wallace,” Burdette said. “She’s tough, and I think she plays harder because of her size.

We watched her play. She wanted to come to Wallace, and we wanted her.”

The days of the Sharp girls playing sports at Red Bay may now be over, but they will continue to grant their talents to their respective colleges, most recently Hannah at Wallace State.

With the success that Hannah had at Red Bay, it is likely that she will make the Lady Lions of Wallace State a better team next season.