- Andrew Sullivan (basketball)
Andrew Sullivan (born
February 12 ,1980 inLondon ,England ) is a British professionalbasketball player, and currently plays for theDexia Mons-Hainaut inBelgium .Biography
chool years
The only child of Eunice Sullivan, Andrew moved from his London home to the
United States in1996 where he attendedSt. Augustine College Preparatory School , inRichland ,New Jersey . In his prep career he scored 1,368 points, averaging 19.8 PPG as a senior. Coached byPaul Rodio his team had a 24-6 record and he was named in the first team all-state as well as being voted as South Jersey Player of the Year1999 .College years
In 1999, Andrew enrolled in the School of Arts & Sciences at
Villanova University , home of the Wildcats basketball team where he graduated in 2003. The gifted athlete was Villanova’s most versatile defender and could guard four positions. Thepoint forward (Can play bothPoint guard and more predominantly power forward) is able to run the floor well and his long arms and quick feet make him a strong rebounder.Sullivan took to his first season with the Wildcats in
1999 -2000 , on his debut chipping in with three rebounds and tough defense in seven minutes againstLafayette , and later the freshman converted his first career points with a 3-point shot from the top of the key in the first half againstFairleigh Dickinson . He tied a career high with seven points in 12 minutes in 67-66 loss to Miami onJanuary 17 ,2000 and three days later grabbed five rebounds and scored five points in 66-57 win at Providence. Overall it was a successful rookie season for the Englishman, in which another highlight unfolded when he made several spectacular plays in 86-69 win over Notre Dame, ending the night with seven points and five rebounds in 14 minutes of activity. By the end of the season, Sullivan had played 29 games, averaging 2.31 PPG.His second season saw his minutes fluctuate throughout the campaign, playing just 20 games and averaging a mere 1.65 PPG, although he did earn a career-high 26 minutes, playing with energy and strong defense in an 87-75 win over
Towson University onNovember 26 ,2000 he contributed four points and five rebounds. Returning from injury, Andrew also scored another four points in 23 minutes of activity in 74-60 win over Connecticut onFebruary 10 ,2001 .The following season would prove to be much more successful than the previous when he established himself as Villanova’s best perimeter defensive player in
2001 -02. He was the only Wildcat to start all 32 contests and connected on .529 of his field goal attempts, chalking up a 5.65 PPG average, or a combined total of 181 points throughout the season.Sullivan started the season well, when he contributed six points and six rebounds in 59-57 win over Dayton on
November 24 ,2001 . His key steal on Dayton’s last offensive possession gave the Wildcats a chance to win on a final trip down the floor and his 28 minutes established a new career high as did his point total. Three days later Andrew better his minutes record, logging a career high 39 minutes in a 61-58 overtime loss againstLa Salle University .Later that season Andrew came within a whisker of his first career double-double, with nine points and nine rebounds in a 71-59 loss at
University of Pittsburgh onFebruary 2 ,2002 and a week later helped holdJason Kapono to nine points on 3-of-9 shooting in 58-57 Villanova victory overUCLA . Sullivan's season finished in a 72-70 loss to Connecticut in Big East Tournament onMarch 7 ,2002 where he produced nine rebounds and four points.Professional career
After leaving Villanova in
2003 , Sullivan travelled to theNetherlands to sign a professional contract with leading Dutch clubEiffelTowers from the city ofNijmegen . After just one season in Holland, Andrew returned to his homeland and immediately signed for leadingBritish Basketball League team theNewcastle Eagles in2004 . Despite being pipped to the league title by just 2 points, "Sulli's" season was incredibly successful. Not only did he help his win the Championship Play-offs in a 78-75 win over theChester Jets , but he was also the game high scorer with 27 points and was named as the MVP of the Championship.Following an incredible debut season in
England , the future was looking bright for the British talent, and despite receiving several offers to play on theEurope an continent, Andrew opted to stay with the Eagles for another season, resigning for 2005-06, and it paid handsomely.The
Newcastle Eagles dominated the regular season, and conquered every tournament they participated in. First claiming the BBL Trophy with a 71-50 win over theLeicester Riders , Sullivan himself contributing with a game high 18 points, as well as 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, which earned him the MVP award. The Eagles doubled their success with an 83-69 victory in the final of the BBL Cup againstLondon Towers , with another 18 points, and also 2 block shots coming from the power forward.After capturing the League title, Newcastle then went on to win the Championship Play-Offs to complete the "clean sweep" of trophies. Sullivan scored 19 points in the final, an 83-68 win against the
Scottish Rocks atBirmingham 'sNational Indoor Arena . To complete his unbelievably victorious season, Andrew was also named as the BBL Player of the Year 2006.With every title won in just two years in England, seemingly Sullivan's work there was done and a fresh challenge was sought after.
Europe came calling again and this time, he jumped at the chance of playing with Europeanbasketball 's elite in theEuroleague . In the summer of2006 , he signed for Spanish ACB clubJoventut Badalona , where he joined fellow BritsRobert Archibald and Andy Betts.After a season struggling with minutes and court time in Spain, and following the departure of his British teammates, Sullivan moved to
Belgium to sign forDexia Mons-Hainaut , who is coached by Great Britain coach Chris Finch.In September 2008 it was announced that Sullivan would once again represent the
Newcastle Eagles . Having signed a 2 month contract with the Eagles it is unclear how long Sullivan will remain with the Eagles as he waits for the right offer from a European outfit.International career
Sullivan's successes have not just restricted to his club teams, but continued with the England national team competing at the
2006 Commonwealth Games inMelbourne . A 80-57 victory againstNigeria in the third place game, in which Sullivan did not play, awarded England the Bronze medal and the team returned home triumphant. In the four games that he did feature, Sullivan averaged 31 minutes-per-game, 5 rebounds-per-game and 18.25 points-per-game, with his tournament high coming againstSouth Africa where he scored 23 points in a 95-53 win.More recently, Andrew has featured in the newly founded Great Britain national team whose aim is to qualify for
Eurobasket 2009 and push for a medal at theLondon 2012 Olympic games .Career history
*2008-Present flagicon|UK
Newcastle Eagles
*2007-2008 flagicon|BelgiumDexia Mons-Hainaut
*2006-2007 flagicon|SpainJoventut Badalona
*2004-2006 flagicon|UKNewcastle Eagles
*2003-2004 flagicon|NetherlandsEiffelTowers
*1999-2002 flagicon|USA Villanova Wildcats
*1996-1999 flagicon|USA St. Augustine Prep
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