October 25, 2012
Recent Hamilton graduates Pat Sullivan ’12 and Anthony Scarpino ’12 are taking their talents to northern Europe.
After four years in the Continentals’ starting lineup, Sullivan signed a contract to play basketball for the Moycullen Basketball Club in County Galway, a region in western Ireland. Although the team is yet to post a win in their first four contests, Sullivan is well on his way to becoming one of the stars of the league.
He led his team in scoring in all four contests. He recorded a double-double in all four games, and ranks fifth in scoring with 20.5 points per game. He is also third in the league in rebounding with 12 boards per game.
When speaking to the Galway Advertiser, Sullivan said, “I’m really excited to play the season in Ireland. It is early days yet, but I can already see from our couple of pre-season games that this Moycullen team has a lot of talent and great team spirit.”
Despite his youth, Sullivan holds his own in a league of several established Irish players. As a senior at Hamilton, Sullivan averaged 17 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
Despite only coaching him for one year, Hamilton basketball coach Adam Stockwell is encouraged by his performance abroad.
“Hamilton College basketball has a long tradition of having our graduates continue their careers overseas, so it is great that Pat Sullivan is able to continue this tradition,” he said. “It is another way for the Hamilton student-athletes to get a unique experience that helps separate the Hamilton College experience from other programs. We expect in the next several years to have other players continue their careers abroad.”
Scarpino signed a contract with Sweden’s Vannas HC. Located in northeastern Sweden, Vannas play in Division 1, the third tier of Swedish hockey. Through eight games, the team is 2-6, which ranks it sixth out of seven teams in the division.
Scarpino is sixth on the team, having contributed three points over the course of these eight games. As one of only thirteen Americans in a league dominated by Scandinavian players, Scarpino faces both a language and cultural barrier. At 24, he is one of the older players on a team of mainly college-age players. During his college career (including a year at Hobart College), Scarpino scored 77 points in 79 games. In his senior year, he collected 31 points, ranking third in the NESCAC.