January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
Sully's European adventure
Basketballer transfers to Hungarian league
Phillips has moved from London Towers to Hungarian side Kaposkosar - who finished sixth in the European Championship - basketball's equivalent of the Champions League last season.
And despite his relatively mature age - Phillips is in his late 20s - national team coach Roderick Spencer believes the move could open up opportunities for Sully to play pro ball in Spain or even in the NBA.
Spencer said the move would be a big step up for the point guard and a chance to prove himself against some of the best players in the world.
"Outside of the NBA the best leagues in the world are Spain, Greece, Hungary and Italy."
Phillips is currently in Hungary preparing for the start of the season in October.
He had a good season last year for the London Towers but Spencer believes his performances in the Island Games and against a squad of former NBA players for the national team helped put him in the spotlight.
He said Sully had put up good numbers throughout his career but had been hindered by a lack of opportunity to prove himself against the very best.
"When he played in the Island Games last year with us there were quite a few scouts there from European teams that got a good chance to see what he could do first hand.
"We also played against a team of former NBA players and he was matched up against Laron Profit who ended up playing for the LA Lakers.
"He definitely showed he can play at that level. With the right opportunity with the right team, he could definitely play in the NBA. The hard part is getting that opportunity. He's trained and worked with NBA teams and they have liked him but they have already had guards drafted from the college system.
"He went to a small school and put up amazing numbers and he's put up good numbers his whole career but the question has always been could he do it against better players? So far he hasn't had that many chances to prove that."
He said Phillips had shown his talent at the Island Games and now had a chance to prove himself against Europe's elite on a regular basis.
"This year will be a tell-tale year for him. If he can put up numbers close to what he has been then he'll do very well."
Spencer added that Phillips would be putting himself in the window for NBA scouts as well as those from bigger European leagues, like the Spanish league.[[In-content Ad]]
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