Lady Griz Countdown: Jordan Sullivan
9/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Sept. 17?? ::?? Preseason prospectus
Sept. 18?? ::?? Kellie Cole
Sept. 19?? ::?? Torry Hill
Sept. 20?? ::?? Lexie Nelson
Sept. 21?? ::?? Carly Selvig
Sept. 22?? ::?? Jordan Sullivan
Sept. 23?? ::?? Katie Baker
Sept. 24?? ::?? Kenzie De Boer
Sept. 25?? ::?? Ashley Ferda
Sept. 26?? ::?? Alexandra Hurley
Sept. 27?? ::?? Alyssa Smith
Sept. 28?? ::?? Misty Atkinson
Sept. 29?? ::?? Tianna Ware
Sept. 30?? ::?? Sarah Ena
Oct. 1?? ::?? Jessa Loman Linford
Oct. 2?? ::?? Stephanie Stender
Oct. 3?? ::?? Season outlook (first day of practice)
Quick hitter: Jordan Sullivan, a 6-2 forward from Sidney, Mont., is the fifth of coach Robin Selvig???s five new freshmen. She is a 2010 graduate of Sidney High and signed a National Letter of Intent last November. Like her cousin and fellow Lady Griz freshman, Carly Selvig, Sullivan is coach Robin Selvig???s niece. Her mom, Sandy (Selvig), is Coach Selvig???s sister and was a member of the Lady Griz from 1978-79 to 1980-81 on her brother???s first three Montana teams.
Last seen: Playing in the Class A state championship game in Hamilton in March. The Eagles lost 50-42 to Billings Central to finish their season 20-3. She could also be seen this summer competing for the Sidney Tiger Sharks swim team.
The big question for 2010-11: That Sullivan, who has both inside and perimeter skills, is going to play and contribute immediately is not in question. What is in question: Where will she fit in best?
Coach Robin Selvig???s thoughts: ???Jordy has good enough skills and is competitive and tough, so we???re going to work her inside to start with. I???m thinking Sarah (Ena), Katie (Baker), Jessa (Loman Linford) and Jordy (at the four and five).
???But again, it???s the same adjustment for all kids. It???s a much more physical game (at the college level) and adjusting to that is a concern for any inside kid you bring in.
???She plays hard all the time. I mean ALL the time, so there isn???t going to be an adjustment to that. In high school she spent half the game on the floor, either diving for balls or she got knocked down. Hopefully her body can take it (at this level). She won???t give an inch, and those will be some big girls knocking her around.
???Mentally she???s ready to help us this year. I???m not worried about that. But you have to be careful as a coach. You can???t have too many expectations for the freshmen, because it???s not that easy.???
What she did last summer (non-basketball related): ???I had a job waitressing at the Sidney Country Club. I???d never had a job before because I was always traveling around for AAU tournaments. And I was on the (Tiger Sharks) swim team, which kept me in shape (note for people who can relate to swim times: her personal best in the 100-meter backstroke is 1:24). I went to the Final Four and watched Duke win the national championship, but I guess that was during the school year.???
What she did last summer (basketball related): ???It was different. Last summer I stayed home more and just worked on my game. All my other summers I focused more on playing because of AAU tournaments. I shot a ton and really tried to work on my shot and ball-handling. It was more about focusing on fundamentals. I had a workout plan for the weight room from the coaches, and when I wasn???t lifting I was swimming, so that was a good tradeoff.???
Cancun anticipation (non-basketball related): ???I???m looking forward to everything. The girls that went a couple of years ago said it was so much fun. I???ve been to Canada before, but that???s the only other country I???ve been to, and it wasn???t for anything fun. It???s going to be nice and warm while it???s probably going to be snowing here. And we???ll be playing some good teams, so that???s exciting too.???
2010-11 season outlook: ???I???m hoping to get some good minutes and work really hard. It???s a step up. Just scrimmaging with these girls already is the next level of competition, so you really have to push yourself to work hard. Everyone is here because they play basketball really well.???
Sullivan???s personal scouting report (strengths): ???I???m a versatile player, so I can go inside and I can go outside, so I think that helps me. I worked on my shot a lot, so I can shoot the three, and I like to post up inside. Hopefully I???m versatile enough that they can???t make me just go inside or just go outside.???
Sullivan???s personal scouting report (weaknesses): ???I need to get stronger, and being a freshman, probably my (lack of) experience. Teams will probably try to get in my head a little bit and see if I can handle it mentally. And I have a tendency to put the ball on the floor a lot (in the post), so teams will probably attack me there and try to steal it from me. I need to keep the ball up and be strong with it.???
What she wants her legacy at Montana to be: ???Hopefully that I was part of a team that went far into the tournament. After being at the Final Four, that would be unreal to be a part of. There are some great players here, and this is such a great program that I think we have a shot to do well in conference and go from there. Hopefully I can look back and say I was a big part of a team that went to the NCAA tournament and kicked some butt.???
Meet the parents: The daughter of Rollie and Sandy Sullivan. Rollie is the principal at Kamiah (Idaho) High School. Sandy is a seventh grade English teacher at Sidney Middle School.
