Gators Women’s Basketball debuts Emily Sullivan, UNC Grad Transfer

SEC Women’s Basketball starts on Wednesday. The Gators will be debuting five new players this season including UNC grad transfer Emily Sullivan.

Who is Emily Sullivan?

Sullivan is a grad transfer from the University of North Carolina where she studied Broadcast Journalism. After transferring to UF, she is mastering in journalism and communications and hopes to work in sports social media.

Sullivan started playing basketball at age 13 and calls Kobe Bryant her favorite athlete, she told floridagators.com.

Excited to play for Florida

In a press conference on the No. 19, Sullivan talked about how excited she is being at Florida. She said she is “looking to be that puzzle needs.” Sullivan further talked about the player she is, a post player who will often be seen in the paint.

Previously, Sullivan played three seasons at the University of North Carolina, a school known for their basketball success. In those three seasons, Sullivan averaged .494 shot percentage and 35 blocks in 52 games played. In high school, Sullivan averaged 6.4 blocks per game as a senior, leading the state of Indiana.

Coming off two seasons hindered by injury

The six-foot-four forward missed much time in her last two years at North Carolina due to injury. She missed the entire 2018-2019 season and played just nine games in the 2019-2020 season before not playing against because of injury. Coming to Florida, however, Sullivan said she is “100% healthy.”

Despite being sidelined for so long, Sullivan was able to look on the bright side and see how it helped her improve her game. During that time, said she was able to “see the game and learn the game from a different perspective.”

Emily Sullivan is looking to the 2020-2021 year

Coming from North Carolina, Sullivan had to adjust to the new offense that head coach Cameron Newbauer runs. She called it a “fast paced offense” that she said is “a lot of fun to play in”.

In the press conference, Sullivan also spoke about the reasons she chose to play at the University of Florida. She said it was because of the relationships she has with the staff and the quality of the team.