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Basketball: Olympics was biggest honour in my career - Drew Sullivan

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It has been some year for Drew Sullivan. It's not often you get to lead out your country in an Olympic Games on home soil.

This summer saw the Leicester Riders star captain the Great Britain basketball team during London 2012, as well as playing a key role in taking Riders to their most successful season in their history.

"It's been a hugely productive year," said Sullivan. "I had the opportunity to play in the Olympics and represent my country and that was a huge deal for me.

"It was the biggest honour I could ever have hoped for. So many people told me what it was going to be like, but until you are there and you've experienced it, there are really no words you can use to describe it.

"Every time you represent GB, you are playing against some of the best players in the world. There's a different level of intensity and concentration, of how hard you have to play and the level of work ethic. But I try to bring that to Riders every day."

Sullivan was also an integral part of a record-breaking season for Riders.

The team finished second in the BBL Championship table – their highest-ever finish – and also posted their best-ever win percentage.

They also made the play-off final, in May, but ultimately fell to defeat at the hands of domestic champions, and Sullivan's former team, Newcastle Eagles.

Despite the apparent success, Sullivan said he found it a hugely frustrating season.

"I didn't come here to set records, I came here to win trophies," said the 32-year-old Sullivan.

"We could quite easily have been a mid-table team but still won a cup or the trophy, but at least we could have come away with something. But we came second in the league and second in the play-offs.

"I'm not really competing for second spot, I'm competing to win. So, for me, it was a very frustrating year in that respect.

"I understand that there were some records broken, which is great for the history books, but the thing that people care most about, at least what I care about, is silverware."

But the final few months of 2012 have seen the Riders make an even better start to the new season. They beat Newcastle in their first win on Tyneside for more than 15 years and have a BBL Cup final against the Eagles in mid-January.

So could 2013 be an even better year for the 6ft 8in forward?

"I don't see why not," he said. "There's everything to suggest that there's a good chance of it being more successful.

"I have got the European championships in September, so that will be another chance to represent Great Britain.

"We're in a good position in the league but the season has just started and there are a lot of things that can happen – I don't think we've really even started to hit our straps yet.

"I don't think any team at this point can openly say they're going to win the league this early – if we've got one game to go and we're two wins better than the next team, then I will say 'yes we're going to win the league' but outside of that, there's always a twist – that's the great thing about sport.

"So we'll just take it as it comes and keep my fingers crossed that 2013 will be more successful."

Basketball: Olympics was biggest honour in my career -  Drew Sullivan


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