Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
Five Years Ago, Sullivan Shined in Chapel Hill
12/28/2018 2:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By Justin Parker
Brian Sullivan will be back in North Carolina's Dean E. Smith Center Saturday when Davidson visits Roy Williams' 14th-ranked Tar Heels at noon (ESPN2), and the Wildcats' director of student-athlete development imagines a few memories will accompany him as he returns to the floor where he played his best college game.
It's been five years since Sullivan, then a redshirt sophomore, hit seven 3-pointers and scored a career-high 33 points to get Davidson, then in its final Southern Conference season, painstakingly close to knocking off the Tar Heels in a 97-85 overtime loss on Dec. 21, 2013.
Ever since that day, his performance has been a topic of conversation whenever Sullivan interacts with Davidson fans and especially any time the Wildcats and Tar Heels meet on the hardwood, as they will Saturday for the 78th time.
"I think at times how surreal it was," says Sullivan, who joined Bob McKillop's staff in September after playing three pro seasons overseas. "Hitting shots, there's part of you that's like, 'is this really happening?'"
It was and it did.
A sharpshooter breaks out
Upon arrival in Davidson, after playing his freshman season at Miami (Ohio), Sullivan had the reputation of a sharpshooter.
Fellow Ohioan Jack Gibbs knew Sullivan well, all the way back to youth league battles. As the 2013-14 college season began, the two were finally teammates. Gibbs was a Davidson freshman, and as Sullivan's memorable day against the Tar Heels unfolded, he couldn't help but remember his old friend having a similar hot shooting day at a recruiting elite camp.
By the time exams were completed and the Wildcats traveled to Chapel Hill, Sullivan had had some ups and downs. In his second game as a Wildcat – following a 7-point debut at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium – Sullivan hit four treys and scored 22 points against Milwaukee in his first home game. He also scored 20 against Georgia to open the Charleston Classic, but two games before entering the Smith Center, he scored two points and missed all five 3-point attempts against Niagara.
The Wildcats' most established offensive weapon at the time was senior forward De'Mon Brooks, who was on his way to a second SoCon Player of the Year award. He was surrounded by shooters, but Sullivan wasn't feeling like one in the days leading up to the game with Carolina.
"I remember very vividly I was struggling to shoot it going into it, and Coach McKillop actually told me I wasn't allowed to shoot (to work out of it) anymore," says Sullivan. "I was in a slump, so the only thing I knew to do was stay in the gym and shoot hundreds and hundreds of shots. So he told me, 'Stay out of the gym. It's not a repetition thing.'"
After pressing in previous games and worrying about his shooting stroke, Sullivan decided to try to enjoy the opportunity to play the Tar Heels, which would be followed by a trip home to Ohio for Christmas.
"It's amazing what your body can do when you get your mind out of its way," he says.
Sullivan scored 10 straight points in the first half and had 13 at the break, as the Tar Heels led 38-35. Then, in the first minute of the second half, he hit a 3-pointer and thought, "this could be a day."
"Brian was on fire the whole game, and we tried to get him as many open looks as we could," says teammate Tyler Kalinoski. "You have games where you are just 'in the zone,' and that is exactly where Bri was at."
Davidson pulled ahead 49-44, but Carolina led most of the second half and by as many as seven until the Wildcats pulled even at 69-all following two Brooks free throws with 5:11 left. From there, it was tight.
Having already hit four 3-pointers in the second half, Sullivan struck again at the 2:09 mark to give the Wildcats a 76-74 lead. After dribbling toward his own bench and pump-faking, he hit a deep three and was fouled by Leslie McDonald, quieting the crowd, except for the red-clad few seated – and now standing – nearby.
"I ended up banking it in," says Sullivan. "I guess that's when you really know that it's going your way that day."
Gibbs still calls it "an unbelievable shot," while Kalinoski says, "I still have no idea how that went in."
Sullivan was unable to complete the four-point play, however, on a day when Davidson uncharacteristically shot 58 percent (14-of-24) from the foul line (and had 22 turnovers). But with the score tied at 79 and 29 seconds left, Davidson could play for the final shot, and as the clock drained, Sullivan had the ball in his hands. He dribbled to his left, and as the clock hit three seconds, he fired from deep, a step-back shot from well beyond the arc.
"I knew I wanted to get my shot off," says Sullivan. "I didn't know if they were going to double; they had been scrambling and so I felt like a step-back would give me enough separation. It was maybe a little deeper (than I wanted), but it was a shot that I was dictating."
The high-arcing shot was on line, but it was short. It hit the front of the rim and the buzzer sounded as Sullivan backpedaled toward midcourt and the teams headed to the extra session.
Davidson's shot to win it had just missed. Another inch or two of distance might have delivered victory.
"I've always told people if there was one shot that I would've changed, it would have been making that one," says Sullivan.
The moment to put the Tar Heels away had passed, though, and given another chance, the hosts, as they so often do, took over, building a double-digit lead as the Wildcats managed just one field goal – a Sullivan jumper in the lane – in overtime. Afterward, talking with radio announcer John Kilgo, an emotionally drained McKillop praised Sullivan for his effort and his team for its fight.
"We let one slip away," he said. "We had a chance to grab the golden ring, and we let one slip away."
Back with the 'Cats
In three Davidson seasons, Sullivan hit 272 3-pointers to rank second – only behind Stephen Curry – on the Wildcats' all-time list. His .381 career 3-point percentage ranks 10th, and he's a member of the program's 1,000-point club in two ways – he scored 1,565 points in four years, including the first at Miami (Ohio), and totaled 1,257 in three Davidson seasons.
After playing pro ball in Germany, Czech Republic and Australia, Sullivan ('16) is excited to now be on the staff at his alma mater. He's enjoying working daily for his former head coach and with players with whom he can relate, including former teammates Nathan Ekwu, KiShawn Pritchett and Dusan Kovacevic.
"Not long ago, I was in their shoes, stepping into the arena out here," he says. "I know what that's like. I know the emotion that goes into it."
And he knows firsthand what can happen anytime the Wildcats step on the floor, especially against a national power such as Carolina. Magical things can happen, and memories can be made. The Wildcats will try it all again Saturday in the Smith Center.
"I'm excited for our guys to get in there, and it's another opportunity to get better," says Sullivan.
It's been five years since Sullivan, then a redshirt sophomore, hit seven 3-pointers and scored a career-high 33 points to get Davidson, then in its final Southern Conference season, painstakingly close to knocking off the Tar Heels in a 97-85 overtime loss on Dec. 21, 2013.
Ever since that day, his performance has been a topic of conversation whenever Sullivan interacts with Davidson fans and especially any time the Wildcats and Tar Heels meet on the hardwood, as they will Saturday for the 78th time.
"I think at times how surreal it was," says Sullivan, who joined Bob McKillop's staff in September after playing three pro seasons overseas. "Hitting shots, there's part of you that's like, 'is this really happening?'"
It was and it did.
A sharpshooter breaks out
Upon arrival in Davidson, after playing his freshman season at Miami (Ohio), Sullivan had the reputation of a sharpshooter.
Fellow Ohioan Jack Gibbs knew Sullivan well, all the way back to youth league battles. As the 2013-14 college season began, the two were finally teammates. Gibbs was a Davidson freshman, and as Sullivan's memorable day against the Tar Heels unfolded, he couldn't help but remember his old friend having a similar hot shooting day at a recruiting elite camp.
By the time exams were completed and the Wildcats traveled to Chapel Hill, Sullivan had had some ups and downs. In his second game as a Wildcat – following a 7-point debut at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium – Sullivan hit four treys and scored 22 points against Milwaukee in his first home game. He also scored 20 against Georgia to open the Charleston Classic, but two games before entering the Smith Center, he scored two points and missed all five 3-point attempts against Niagara.
The Wildcats' most established offensive weapon at the time was senior forward De'Mon Brooks, who was on his way to a second SoCon Player of the Year award. He was surrounded by shooters, but Sullivan wasn't feeling like one in the days leading up to the game with Carolina.
"I remember very vividly I was struggling to shoot it going into it, and Coach McKillop actually told me I wasn't allowed to shoot (to work out of it) anymore," says Sullivan. "I was in a slump, so the only thing I knew to do was stay in the gym and shoot hundreds and hundreds of shots. So he told me, 'Stay out of the gym. It's not a repetition thing.'"
After pressing in previous games and worrying about his shooting stroke, Sullivan decided to try to enjoy the opportunity to play the Tar Heels, which would be followed by a trip home to Ohio for Christmas.
"It's amazing what your body can do when you get your mind out of its way," he says.
Sullivan scored 10 straight points in the first half and had 13 at the break, as the Tar Heels led 38-35. Then, in the first minute of the second half, he hit a 3-pointer and thought, "this could be a day."
"Brian was on fire the whole game, and we tried to get him as many open looks as we could," says teammate Tyler Kalinoski. "You have games where you are just 'in the zone,' and that is exactly where Bri was at."
Davidson pulled ahead 49-44, but Carolina led most of the second half and by as many as seven until the Wildcats pulled even at 69-all following two Brooks free throws with 5:11 left. From there, it was tight.
Having already hit four 3-pointers in the second half, Sullivan struck again at the 2:09 mark to give the Wildcats a 76-74 lead. After dribbling toward his own bench and pump-faking, he hit a deep three and was fouled by Leslie McDonald, quieting the crowd, except for the red-clad few seated – and now standing – nearby.
"I ended up banking it in," says Sullivan. "I guess that's when you really know that it's going your way that day."
Gibbs still calls it "an unbelievable shot," while Kalinoski says, "I still have no idea how that went in."
Sullivan was unable to complete the four-point play, however, on a day when Davidson uncharacteristically shot 58 percent (14-of-24) from the foul line (and had 22 turnovers). But with the score tied at 79 and 29 seconds left, Davidson could play for the final shot, and as the clock drained, Sullivan had the ball in his hands. He dribbled to his left, and as the clock hit three seconds, he fired from deep, a step-back shot from well beyond the arc.
"I knew I wanted to get my shot off," says Sullivan. "I didn't know if they were going to double; they had been scrambling and so I felt like a step-back would give me enough separation. It was maybe a little deeper (than I wanted), but it was a shot that I was dictating."
The high-arcing shot was on line, but it was short. It hit the front of the rim and the buzzer sounded as Sullivan backpedaled toward midcourt and the teams headed to the extra session.
Davidson's shot to win it had just missed. Another inch or two of distance might have delivered victory.
"I've always told people if there was one shot that I would've changed, it would have been making that one," says Sullivan.
The moment to put the Tar Heels away had passed, though, and given another chance, the hosts, as they so often do, took over, building a double-digit lead as the Wildcats managed just one field goal – a Sullivan jumper in the lane – in overtime. Afterward, talking with radio announcer John Kilgo, an emotionally drained McKillop praised Sullivan for his effort and his team for its fight.
"We let one slip away," he said. "We had a chance to grab the golden ring, and we let one slip away."
Back with the 'Cats
In three Davidson seasons, Sullivan hit 272 3-pointers to rank second – only behind Stephen Curry – on the Wildcats' all-time list. His .381 career 3-point percentage ranks 10th, and he's a member of the program's 1,000-point club in two ways – he scored 1,565 points in four years, including the first at Miami (Ohio), and totaled 1,257 in three Davidson seasons.
After playing pro ball in Germany, Czech Republic and Australia, Sullivan ('16) is excited to now be on the staff at his alma mater. He's enjoying working daily for his former head coach and with players with whom he can relate, including former teammates Nathan Ekwu, KiShawn Pritchett and Dusan Kovacevic.
"Not long ago, I was in their shoes, stepping into the arena out here," he says. "I know what that's like. I know the emotion that goes into it."
And he knows firsthand what can happen anytime the Wildcats step on the floor, especially against a national power such as Carolina. Magical things can happen, and memories can be made. The Wildcats will try it all again Saturday in the Smith Center.
"I'm excited for our guys to get in there, and it's another opportunity to get better," says Sullivan.
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