WALLINGFORD — The question posed to Claire Sullivan was a simple one: "When was the last day you didn't play or practice basketball?" Sullivan pondered it for a few minutes, but the 15-year-old couldn't come up with an answer.
     She simply couldn't remember.
     Sullivan, a 5-foot-8 sophomore point guard on the Choate of Wallingford girls' basketball team, is a quintessential gym rat. She starts her workout by shooting one-handed shots with both hands, then takes between 300 to 500 jump shots.
     Sullivan said the entire workout, which also includes free throw shooting and ball-handling drills, takes approximately 5 hours — and that's on a day when she doesn't have practice or a game.
     "By the time I graduate, I will have spent more time (in Choate's gym) than anyone who has come to Choate, I guarantee you that," Sullivan said.
     It certainly helps that Sullivan lives just a few blocks from the school and her mother works in the school's financial office. She's still trying to get the keys to the gym — literally — so she can practice any time of day.
     Sullivan's room is adorned with plenty of posters of her favorite player, Michael Jordan. She also learns about the game from watching television, particularly studying the NBA and college basketball's best point guards.
     "If a basketball game is on, that's what I will watch," Sullivan said. "When I turn on a game, I really like to focus on what the point guard is doing."
     Sullivan, who is averaging 17 points and seven assists per game, would have attended Lyman Hall in Wallingford had she gone to a public high school. That's where she originally wanted to go, but her mother wanted her to attend Choate for at least one year.
     "I love it here. I would never think of leaving," Sullivan said.
     Jim Davidson, Choate's coach, is thankful for that. Sullivan has started every game of her varsity career.
     "She gets kids the ball and has the good sense when to take her own shot," Davidson said. "She's the best player in Wallingford, without a doubt. You can't be any more of a gym rat than Claire is."
     Those who follow public school basketball may not be familiar with Sullivan. But those involved in AAU circles knows she's among the state's best sophomores, who include Shamika Jackson from East Catholic, Lisa Etienne from McMahon of Norwalk, Brittney Carfora from Branford, Sharee Miller of Hillhouse and Tiffany DeRosa of Hamden.
     One coach very familiar with Sullivan is Cheshire's Joe Ticotsky. Both Sullivan and DeRosa played for Ticotsky on the Connecticut Starters 12- and 13-under state champion team that finished fifth in the nation in the latter age group in 2000.
     "I think she's the best underclassman in New Haven County," Ticotsky said. "She has amazing playground and one-on-one moves. She's always been a really good ball handler."
     Even at age 15, Sullivan seems to speak from experience. She keeps a mental list of what she needs to do game in and game out (in order): get the win, get her teammates involved in the offense, score if necessary, but definitely pick up 10 assists and between three-five steals per game.
     "My goal is to win," Sullivan said. "Even if I average zero points and we go undefeated, that's the best season I could ask for."
     Like Jordan, Sullivan is competitive on and off the court.
     "I'm very competitive. Anyone who knows me will tell you that," Sullivan said. I have a competitive problem. Even if I'm playing cards with someone, I have to win. No one wants to play recreation sports with me."
     It's not hard for Sullivan to find on-court motivation. For Choate, it's to beat the teams the Wild Boars lost to last season, such as Andover (Mass.) and Tabor Academy (Mass.). For her own game, she remembers the times during pickup games as a freshman when she was the only girl and would be the last person selected for full-court games. That doesn't happen anymore.
     Or the motivation can come from other places, unbeknownst to the source.
     "When I played for (Ticotsky) at age 12, he told all of us, 'We don't have any All-Americans on this team,'" Sullivan said. "That's the No. 1 quote on my wall. I never told him, but I was pretty mad about it. I know what he meant by it, but I took it totally in the other direction."
     Sullivan will probably have to be of All-American-caliber to go to her dream college. In an age where every recruit seemingly lists Connecticut or Tennessee as their No. 1 choice, Sullivan, a B student, wants to play at Stanford. Duke, Stanford, UConn, Rutgers, Notre Dame and Boston College are among the schools Sullivan has attracted, mainly through her AAU career.
     Some might think Sullivan goes overboard with her gym-rat status, while others might view a 15-year-old basketball junkie see it as a refreshing change of pace. Either way, Sullivan exudes passion for basketball.
     "She probably knows more about NBA players the last 20 years than people know about the NBA players today," Ticotsky said. "I don't know a kid who loves the game of basketball more than she does." ©New Haven Register 2002