Brown University sophomore guard Joe Sharkey remains in critical condition after being punched in the head early Sunday morning in what appears to be an unprovoked attack.
Sharkey, 21, is a reserve guard who played in 27 games last season and averaged 1.4 points per game. According to reports, Sharkey was talking to a group of women around 2 a.m. on Providence's East Side when a man punched him in the face. Sharkey's head then slammed into the concrete, according to WBZ-TV.
Deputy Police Chief Thomas F. Oates III told the Providence Journal that the attack appeared to have been unprovoked.
The 6-foot-2 Sharkey hails from Norwood, Mass., and attended Northfield Mount Hermon prep school. He missed his freshman season due to a hip injury and suffered a dislocated shoulder leading up to last season, which hampered his effectiveness.
Northfield Mount Hermon coach John Carroll told CBSSports.com that Sharkey, who started all four years at the school, was responsive at times when he went to see his former player at Rhode Island Hospital on Sunday.
"He said, 'I love you' to his family," Carroll said. "He was able to squeeze hands and push himself up."
"He's a great kid, so well-liked and kind," he added. "The outreach we're seeing just confirms all of that."