We’ve heard rumors that Sean Mullan, a 6-foot-6 swingman from Australia, might be joining the Quakers in the near future. Mullan confirmed via e-mail that he visited campus the weekend of April 24 and is very interested in coming to Penn to play basketball. At this point he is still taking more SAT exams, completing his financial aid documents, and finalizing the rest of his application.
Mullan was highly regarded in Australia while playing for the Illawara Hawks in the New South Wales region of Australia. He is a three-time MVP of the NSW State Championships (2003, 05, and 06) and captained Australia’s U17 team. We’ll keep you updated with more developments as they come in, but in the meantime, here is a highlight video.
Tags: basketball, Recruiting

May 4th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Hey Noah, good job hunting this intriguing story down…the video looks promising…what’s the likelihood this is going to go down, and can you tell us anyting more about this kid? Age? Any other schools vying for him? Maybe you can flesh things out a bit?
May 4th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Thanks Steve. Credit goes to Andrew Scurria and Andrew Todres as well. It was a team effort. I don’t yet have the details you’ve asked for, but I’m in correspondence with him and I should have a lot more details shortly. I don’t think he is the normal age of a freshman, probably closer to 19 or 20, just based on the timeline I’ve sort of formulated from the various things I’ve read. Every indication from both him and his mother is that Penn is his first choice. I don’t know if any other schools are on his radar, but I’ve posed the question, and again, should have that answer shortly. I’ll post more information as soon as I get it.
May 4th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
that’s awesome…what do you know about the incoming recruits who are already committed? we haven’t heard much to this point…anything on that front? info would be appreciated. thanks for your follow-up. keep up the good reporting.
May 4th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
All I know so far about the first three recruits is what was said at the town hall meeting, which I discussed in my report on that meeting.
Here’s an excerpt:
“The first question posed to Miller concerned recruiting, and he said he was pleased with the team’s three recruits: Carson Sullivan, a 6-foot-2 guard from Charlotte, N.C., who is considered the best incoming freshman; Bryan Fitzpatrick, a versatile 6-7 swingman from Connecticut; and Malcolm Washington, a 5-10 guard who is the son of actor Denzel Washington and a “fireball” who “might surprise us,” according to Miller.
Sullivan was intensely recruited by a familiar foe, but “We beat out Princeton is what it came down to,” Miller said. He added that the team is still looking to add a true big man.”
He also referred to Washington as a “preferred walk-on.” It’s not completely clear what he meant, but I will clarify that soon. I hope to track down these 3 recruits and provide a report sometime over the summer. For now, all my attention is on final exams.
May 5th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
I don’t understand why you guys take your final exams so seriously…it’s just your GPA, right?
Noah, seriously…thanks for the update…”a preferred walk-on” doesn’t sound exactly like a resounding endorsement…that’s bizarre.
But to the more important point: you guys really need to get your priorities straight: Final exams should never, ever, take precedence over the continuing development of these sports stories.
take it easy, Noah…good luck.
May 6th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Have his parents complained about the streaming video feed
on PennAthletics.com?
And has he tried the tater tots yet?
FOJL
St Mary’s Georgia
Today’s stop on the 2009 NA FOJL Tour
May 7th, 2009 at 9:34 am
I remain baffled why these young men and women, budding sports journalists, work hard enough to get into an Ivy League school and. then, conveniently, effectively “journalistically recuse” themselves whenever final exams approach?
I think the DP staff/editors need to get together and hash this issue out. This is patently “using school” and the empty pursuit of a good GPA as an excuse to abdicate journalistic responsibilities.
I’m particularly interested, FOJL, in your take…and, as always, in EN’s take? You fellas keep it fresh.
May 7th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Steve Becker -
Thanks. Had I your e-mail, I could have shared with you this article on the lapse of Harvard’s storied squash program in Vanity Fair. Enjoy! EN
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/style/2009/05/what-happened-to-harvard-squash.html
July 21st, 2009 at 6:38 pm
[...] including 6-6 swingman Sean Mullan of Australia, who apparently can play a little, according to this blog entry by Daily Pennsylvanian reporter Noah Rosenstein, which includes a link to a highlight [...]