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It’s not unusual for Satch Sullinger to travel to Boston to watch his son play for the Celtics. Over the past two seasons he has become a familiar face around TD Garden, often coming to town for long home stands at a time. When Satch decided to visit Jared in late January, the 21-year-old thought his dad was coming to check in on him. Turns out Satch was traveling to put him in check.
Father’s Tough Love Turned Around Sullinger’s Season-Jessica Camerato
Your Eastern Conference player of the week, Jared Sullinger, seems to have finally hit his stride. He has become an integral part of the Boston Celtics’ offense, and a huge asset to a team that struggled mightily to find rebounds over the past few seasons. But Sully has also seen his share of struggles this season. A slump near the beginning of 2014 had Sullinger in a state of disarray. He was picking up fouls at an alarming rate, his demeanor suffered, and his Dad picked up on all of it. So Satch Sullinger decided to pay his son a visit. And what a visit it was..
“Very strong words from my father,” Jared said. “It was a heated argument at first. Then around, I’d say, four hours later after I slammed my door and kicked him out of my room and made him go to his room, I realized that I was wrong and he was right. I just apologized and told him I’m sorry, he’s right and I never meant to disrespect the family name.”
It was easy to tell Sullinger was struggling during that period in late December/early January. It was so obvious. The flagrant fouls, the complaining to the refs, the frustrating injuries. They say that when the mind is not right, the body will often follow, and that was definitely the case with Sully. Thank goodness his dad cared enough to be very honest with him and help him snap out of his “funk”. But tough love is not the only thing that helps Sully get his mind right. When Jared can’t turn to Satch for inspiration, there’s a certain Disney classic that he relies on..
Without Satch around, Jared has his own ways of staying focused and remembering the basketball values his father instilled in him. Last season, Jared watched “The Lion King” (a childhood favorite) while rehabbing from his back surgery. He liked the movie’s message of overcoming challenges and drew motivation from it. This time around he is drawing another lesson from the Disney classic, one about family. Being told he was disrespecting the Sullinger name impacted Jared. He had been taught being a Sullinger meant playing hard and respecting the game, similar qualities to wearing a Celtics uniform, he said.
Jessica’s article goes on to explain how Sully watches “The Lion King” just about every “non-game day” now, and how it’s become a key factor in his success. Letting go of all the little things that he can’t control, having no worries and just playing ball. You just can’t make this stuff up. Hakuna Matata. Also, if you’d like to learn more about Satch Sullinger, check out his book, “Winning With Purpose“.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB5ceAruYrI
The rest of the links:
Herald: Green Pumps In 29 As Celtics Knock Off Bucks
ESPN Boston: Green Finds His Range vs Bucks
CSNNE: Getting More Attention
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