STARKVILLE — People skills can help you earn a college scholarship.
Michael Sullivan’s parents didn’t use that language in raising their son to be a “people person,” but they hoped their son wouldn’t hesitate when he saw an opportunity to meet someone, especially a coach who could help him take the next step in his soccer career.
It just so happens Sullivan had an interesting ice-breaker to start a memorable conversation nearly two years ago with a “stranger.”
“I introduced myself and said, ‘Michael Sullivan,’ ” Sullivan said. “He said, ‘What? You already know me?’ I was like, ‘No …’ but we kind of made a connection right there. He just kept in touch and liked what he saw, I guess.”
At that time, Michael Sullivan was a sophomore member of the Starkville High School boys soccer team. Sullivan and his teammates were practicing one day at Armstrong Middle School when Sullivan spied a visitor — Itawamba Community College soccer coach Mike Sullivan — at the training session. Coach Sullivan was at the practice to determine the interest of Starkville High’s seniors, which included Dylan Howard, and doing his homework to track the next wave of college prospects.
Nearly two years later, the Sullivans can look back on their first meeting and laugh. That meeting laid the groundwork for them to stay in contact and, ultimately, paved the way for Starkville High’s Sullivan to sign Tuesday to play for coach Sullivan at ICC.
“(Starkville High boys soccer coach) Brian and I grew up together,” coach Sullivan said. “He told me we have a good player and that I would like you to meet him wait. He also said wait until you find out what his name is.”
Sullivan recalled the initial surprise when he learned he and a potential recruit shared the same name. Even though the coach and player aren’t related, coach Sullivan said Sullivan caught his eye even as a sophomore because he was a “big, tall, lanky kid who plays some defense.” He said Sullivan looked physical and that he could tell he was a smart player. He said he filed that evaluation away for future use because he felt Sullivan could be someone who fit nicely into his system when the time came to recruit that class of seniors.
“He has definitely matured a lot,” coach Sullivan said. “He has gotten better every time I see him. He is a really smart player out there. That is the thing I like the most. He is not the fanciest guy. He is not the fastest guy in the world, but he is one of the smart guys, and I kind of guys love to have those guys in the center back for us.”
Sullivan said it is even more important to have players like Sullivans step in next season because he is losing 15 players, including Howard, to graduation. He said Sullivan has “a very high soccer IQ,” which should help fill the void left by players with a similar mind-set. Many of those players helped ICC (13-4) advance to the quarterfinals of the MACJC playoffs.
“We’re reloading, but we’re reloading with some big bullets,” said Sullivan, who hopes to sign seven players from Tupelo today. “We want center backs to be really good distributors of the ball because a lot of things go through them. We look for our center backs to find more space for us to get us going. Both people playing center back are directing traffic and being on top of things.”
Starkville High’s Sullivan feels he can play that role, even if he knows he isn’t guaranteed a spot once he arrives in Fulton. He said coach Sullivan watched several of his games this season and talked to him after the matches. He said he took an official visit to ICC late last year and loved the campus.
“You’re never satisfied when you’re an athlete, but it is quite obvious a goal has been reached that has been set since I started playing,” Sullivan said. “You just put in all this effort and all of this work to get a goal — and I know there have been times when I have been burned out and ready to quit. You just get a kick, kind of like a jump-start back into it and you’re ready to go again. Once you get to that goal again, it is almost like a weight off your shoulder. Then you have another put on to move on to the next level. I can say I am satisfied, but now I am ready for the next step. I am not going to be satisfied until I get that.”
In addition to spending the past three years on the soccer team, Sullivan spent the past three seasons on the school’s football team. As a sophomore, he backed up Charlie Henderson. Sullivan and Michael Godley handled the kicking duties the past two seasons.
Bennett believes Sullivan’s time with the Starkville High football team has aided his development. He said Sullivan has gained weight and strength from working in the weight room. He said the physical maturation has helped his confidence and made him much more than a vocal presence in the back.
“He really has become a ball-winner in the back,” Bennett said. “We have put a lot of emphasis on winning balls out of the air, and he has come a long way and has become a big, strong ball-winner. I believe coach Sullivan saw that, too, and that is why he is ready to put him on the back line at ICC.”
Bennett said Sullivan always has been a vocal leader, even when he was a sophomore starter with a bunch of older players up top. In the past two years, though, Bennett has watched Sullivan become even more comfortable directing traffic and using his voice to keep the Yellow Jackets organized.
“We had to play some games without him while he was still playing football,” Bennett said. “As soon as he stepped on the field, you could hear him organizing the back line. It is very important, and he is very good at it. He knows what everybody should be doing around him, and he is not shy about letting them know.”
Maybe that’s why Bennett remembers Sullivan introducing himself to his namesake, the ICC coach, at practice a few years ago. He said the Sullivans seemed to hit it off from the start, which led him to believe another Starkville High boys soccer player would find his way to Fulton.
Sullivan’s play the past two seasons has helped him secure an opportunity to play at the next level. He hopes his ability to realize this goal is just the first step toward reaching his next goal of playing soccer at a four-year school.
Sullivan said his parents always encouraged him to be a “people person” who isn’t shy about introducing himself to others. That maturity is even more important in the athletic world, especially when that someone is a coach who might be interested in offering you a scholarship some day.
Back then, Sullivan thought meeting his namesake could lead to something. Years earlier, when he started playing age-level soccer, he might have thought the sport could lead to a college offer. He said he didn’t start to think about “getting on the radar” of college coaches until he was 14 or 15 years old and playing a higher level of travel soccer.
These days, Sullivan plays Premier Select soccer for the Starkville Soccer Association Bulldogs. He said playing at that level helped him get his name out to a bigger audience. He feels that exposure and all of the training he has done ever since he started playing helped him earn an opportunity to extend his soccer career.
“Ever since I was like 10, we have been on a practice field, been on a practice field, been on a practice field, whether it was small-sided stuff or a legitimate practice,” Sullivan said. “You train and train and train for that one opportunity, and you have to seize that opportunity. The opportunity came and I tried to seize it, and it has worked out well.”
n On Tuesday night, the Madison Central High soccer teams swept Starkville in Starkville. The Madison Central girls won 1-0, while the boys won 5-1.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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