St. Andrew’s 7-Footer A10 Bound
St. Andrew's post-graduate center Cian Sullivan made a verbal commitment to LaSalle on Friday, accepting a full athletic scholarship to the division I school.
While the news came as a bit of a surprise, Saints' head coach Michael Hart told NERR that LaSalle plans to redshirt Sullivan next year in order to help him put on weight and be more physically prepared to compete at the Atlantic 10 level.
Nonetheless, the Explorers are still believed to have been the only division I school to offer Sullivan a full scholarship since his arrival.
While he might not yet be ready to make an immediate impact at the division I level, Sullivan has a plethora of long-term tools and so taking him now and planning to redshirt him is both a creative move from LaSalle and also one that could pay big dividends down the road considering the limited supply of quality big men and the fact that Sullivan will be roughly two years older than the average freshmen when he finally sees the floor for the Explorers.
The biggest area of emphasis for Sullivan is the progression of his body as he's lean through the core and in need of a good deal of muscle before he's able to hold his position on both ends of the floor. However, while he might not yet be muscular, Sullivan isn't apprehensive to play through contact. Combine that with the fact that he has soft hands, can score with both his right and his left and also seems to pick things up quickly and he's a prospect who LaSalle believed was worth the investment.
Once they made the offer, the decision became a no-brainer for Sullivan who not only reaches a higher level of competition than initially expected but will also graduate from LaSalle with a Master's degree after five years in the program.
Below are some of his highlights from last season:
Cian Sullivan