By John Bohnenkamp

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Sean Sullivan has worked on the women’s basketball staffs at Penn State, Pittsburgh, and North Carolina.

And yet the Coralville native and Regina High School graduate always felt like he was a Hawkeye.

Sullivan is an Iowa graduate, and spent his college days as a four-year practice player/manager and one season as a video coordinator with the women’s basketball team.

When new Iowa head coach Jan Jensen called to offer Sullivan a chance at a spot on her staff, of course he was going to accept.

“I was like, yeah, it’s a no-brainer,” said Sullivan, Iowa’s new assistant coach/general manager, during Thursday’s media availability at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. “I got it. It’s Iowa.”

Sullivan’s resumé has plenty of experience. He was director of scouting and digital technology at Penn State for two seasons, had two seasons as Pitt’s director of video, then was North Carolina’s director of player personnel, development and recruiting operations for three seasons, adding the title of assistant coach in his final season.

Sullivan appreciates the experience he got at the other schools, but, he said, “I love Iowa. I bleed the black and gold. I always have. All of those places I’ve been to have a special place in my heart, because I wouldn’t be here today if I wouldn’t have been in those places.”

It was his time as a practice player at Iowa when he figured out he wanted to get into coaching. Playing against players like Kachine Alexander and Samantha Logic taught him a lot about basketball.

“You really start to learn, you start to build relationships, not with the practice guys, but with the players and coaches,” Sullivan said. “That’s when you start being in meetings, that’s where the trust begins. It’s where you learn about the game.

“I’m one of those guys who wants to say I can still play (in the NBA),” he added, smiling. “But the reality is, I’m not. The thing I love about coaching is the progression and the relationships. You’ll see people go from what they can’t do in their freshman year to what they can do in their senior year. And it’s great, because you learn who they are as people.”

Even at other schools, Sullivan kept in touch with Iowa coach Lisa Bluder and her staff.

“It’s always that family feeling, that you’re always family no matter what,” Sullivan said. “There would be times during the season, I would call Jenni (Fitzgerald) or someone about scouts and say, ‘What do you think about this?’ And they’re always helpful.

“I think that’s what makes Iowa great, is the people.”

There is, of course, that transitional whirlwind that comes with a new job, and Sullivan said he is still trying to settle into the job.

Asked if it has sunk in that he is back at Iowa, Sullivan said, “It still hasn’t. I don’t think it has, yet. I have to go back to Carolina to get my wife and son. But once that happens, it will be like, ‘Wow, this is it.’

“Recruiting, practices, it’s all gone so fast. I still have boxes everywhere.”

The Tiger Hawk logo on his t-shirt, Sullivan said, felt right.

“This has always been home to me,” he said.