With both excitement and nerves, Carmel graduate Grace Sullivan added her name to a rapidly growing group in late March, entering college basketball’s transfer portal.
After playing two seasons at Bucknell, the 6-foot-4 forward wanted a change of scenery for the second half of her career. Sullivan just didn’t anticipate the response.
“The portal is nuts,” she said. “You hear about things but obviously never hope to experience it. Just five minutes in the portal, I was receiving emails from different schools, texts from coaches who I never talked to before and even coaches who recruited me in the past.”
But Sullivan, who helped Carmel win the 2022 Class 3A state championship, was pleasantly surprised by the amount of attention she received.
“It was so overwhelming,” she said. “I was hoping some cool and big basketball schools would get in touch with me, but I didn’t know what to expect. I was pretty shocked and excited to see some of the schools. It was crazy to see these schools wanted me. It was super rewarding.”
Sullivan didn’t wait long to take advantage of the opportunity. Two days after entering the portal, she put an end to her recruiting by committing to Northwestern on March 29.
Sullivan said the university’s proximity to her home and the chance to play in the Big Ten were key points and that her experience with Northwestern assistant Maggie Lyon and director of basketball operations Karen Stack Umlauf also were factors. Lyon was one of Sullivan’s first AAU coaches, and Stack Umlauf was on the coaching staff of Carmel’s state championship team.
“Coach Maggie was one of the first serious basketball coaches for me, so with her and coach Karen, that’s two amazing female coaches I’ve had in my life already on their staff,” Sullivan said.
She also mentioned the educational opportunity.
“With Northwestern being such a high academic school, it was hard to pass up,” Sullivan said.
But she made clear she enjoyed Bucknell.
“I loved everything about the university,” Sullivan said. “The first two years were an amazing experience. I have no complaints. I met my best friends, teammates and other athletes. I really was able to get the whole student-athlete experience.”
Sullivan’s mother, Jennifer Ferris, said she traveled to the Bucknell campus more than 20 times over the past two years, so she’s looking forward to the shorter commute to Evanston. But Ferris noted the irony that Sullivan’s sister, Abigail, will play college volleyball farther from home.
“Grace is coming back, but Abbey is going off to play volleyball in college,” Ferris said. “Bucknell is a lovely school and was a great basketball experience for her, but now she’s close to home. I promised to give her some space.”
Sullivan showed some promise as a freshman at Bucknell, averaging 3.3 points and 2.7 rebounds, and then became a strong two-way player this past season. Sullivan made 20 starts, had 10 double-digit scoring games and averaged 8.8 points and 4.9 rebounds. She scored a career-high 28 points to go with 10 rebounds against Loyola-Maryland on Feb. 28.
Sullivan credited Bucknell assistant Sherill Baker for helping her improve her post game.
“I really developed and had one of the best post coaches, who was a mentor to me, and her expertise was unmatched,” Sullivan said.
Carmel coach Ben Berg said Sullivan, who started all 116 games in her Carmel career, was a late bloomer.
“I thought she was overlooked a bit,” Berg said. “She didn’t play travel basketball until after her freshman year because of softball. She worked hard at her game.”
Now Sullivan will bring her game back to the Chicago area.
“We’re very proud of Grace and what’s she done in her first two years in college,” Berg said. “We look forward to watching her in the next two years.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
