Noosa basketballer Bayley Crawford will join the number one ranked American high school, Montverde Academy

Sunshine Coast basketballer Bayley Crawford has accepted an offer to attend American high school Montverde Academy, following in NBA star Ben Simmons’ footsteps.

A teenage basketball sensation is set to follow in the footsteps of Australia’s NBA superstar Ben Simmons.

Sunshine Beach State High School student Bayley Crawford had accepted an offer from Montverde Academy, a high school famous for its basketball program.

Crawford, 18, would finish his final year of school in Florida having spent the past six years at Sunshine Beach.

The 196cm-tall point guard said he couldn't believe his luck when Montverde Academy head coach Kevin Boyle gave him a call.

“Coach Boyle rang me up one day and explained how excited he was to take me on board for my final year of high school,” he said.

“The initial goal for me has always been to get over to America so I can’t wait to prove myself against the top high school players in the country.”

Sunshine Coast basketballer Bayley Crawford will attend the same high school of Montverde Academy as current Australian NBA superstar Ben Simmons.

Crawford said it was an amazing feeling to be given the opportunity to attend the same school as Australian NBA all-star and former first-round pick Ben Simmons.

“I’ve looked up to Ben Simmons for a while now so it’s crazy to think I’ll be following a similar process as to what he went through,” he said.

Montverde Academy currently ranked as the number one high school basketball team in the nation after being crowned national champions six times since 2013.

Along with Ben Simmons Montverde Academy had been a product line for NBA players such as Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons), Moses Moody (Golden State Warriors), D’Angelo Russell (Minnesota Timberwolves), R.J. Barrett (New York Knicks) and Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors) who all graduated from the school.

Crawford said the level of atmosphere that surrounds high school sport would be something to look forward too.

“High school and college sport over there is crazy so for me to be able to experience the culture and environment of it all is another positive that I’m excited for,” he said.

“Through Step by Step basketball and coach Shaun Sykes I’ve been able to tour America for basketball a few times to get a taste of what it’s like over there.

“I think those camps really lit the fire in me to get over there for good and I can’t thank the support of my family and coach Shaun enough.”

Crawford said his main goal of making it to the elite NBA level hadn’t changed.

“I’ve been playing basketball for as long as I can remember and it’s been a great journey so far but I believe this is where the real hard work begins,” he said.

“Hopefully this season goes well and I can pick up some D1 college offers before breaking into the NBA.”

Originally published as Noosa basketballer Bayley Crawford will join the number one ranked American high school, Montverde Academy