Andrew Sullivan (GB Basketball photo)
Even with Sheila Reid being denied by Athletics Canada, Villanova will be well-represented at the 2012 Olympics in London later this month. Most of the schools representatives will be entering the track and field events, but Andrew Sullivan will represent Villanova basketball, and Great Britain, on the Olympic hardwood. He was officially named to the host country's 12-man roster for the tournament today.
Sullivan was born in London, England and came to the United States to play basketball, enrolling at St. Augustine Prep in Richland, New Jersey in 1996. The 6-8 forward had a prolific prep career, scoring over 1,300 points and averaging 19.8 points per game during his senior season. That success caught the eye of then-Villanova head coach Steve Lappas, who added Sullivan to his team in 1999.
Sullivan was a versatile point forward for the Wildcats, and was valued by the coaching staff for his ability to guard four positions. He averaged 5.7 points and 4.9 rebounds as a Junior at 'Nova, in what was his best season in the program. He started all 32 games that season and had a .529 field goal percentage. Sullivan played in 109 career games in the blue and white (and sometimes purple), under both Lappas and Jay Wright.
"We're so thrilled that Andrew has earned the honor of representing his country at the Olympics," Wright said in a statement. "When our staff first returned to Villanova [in 2001], Andrew really set a great example for our younger players with his commitment to playing hard and together with his teammates."
After graduating in 2003, he returned to Europe and has played professionally there since, most recently for Leicester Riders of the British Basketball League. Prior to that stint, he has played in various leagues across the continent.
Team GB will open their Olympic Campaign on July 29 against an as-yet-unknown opponent. They will be in a difficult group that they will need to finish in the top-two of to advance to the quarterfinals. That group will include, Spain (currently ranked second by FIBA), Australia (ninth), China (10th) and Brazil (13th). Britain did knock off the Chinese a year ago, however, and will be looking for a few more upsets this summer.
The British team will be headlined by NBA all-star, Luol Deng. The full roster also includes, Kieron Achara, Robert Archibald, Eric Boateng, Dan Clark, Joel Freeland, Kyle Johnson, Andrew Lawrence, Mike Lenzly, Pops Mensa-Bonsu, and Nate Reinking.
Sullivan is listed as a "lost" alumnus by the Villanova alumni network, which means that the University does not possess his current contact information.