Hugh Greenwood makes huge jump in footy gamble

HUGH Greenwood’s move to leave basketball for AFL harked back to the same choice he made as a teen.

Perth Wildcats unveil new recruit Hugh Greenwood (to wear #3).

HUGH Greenwood’s decision to turn his back on basketball to pursue an AFL career was a flashback to the same choice he had to make as a teenager.

In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Tasmanian, Greenwood has described the move as the toughest of his life.

Speaking for the first time since he shocked the Perth Wildcats by pulling the plug on a three-year deal just one month into his NBL career, the 23-year-old admits he felt the door closing on both his NBA dream and making the Boomers squad for the Rio Olympics.

MORE: GREENWOOD WALKS AWAY FROM CONTRACT WITH PERTH WILDCATS

Greenwood has spent the past week in Adelaide trialling with the Crows, but said he had not signed any contract.

An official announcement is expected in the next couple of weeks, and he will join a club list as a Category B rookie.

MORE: EXPERTS BACK SWITCH FROM BASKETBALL TO AFL

“Absolutely, it was the toughest decision, probably since I had to make the one back when I was 15, to make the call between the two [sports] back then,” Greenwood said.

“As an athlete my dream is to play at the highest level possible and when the NBA door … it wasn’t closed by any means, but it was going to be very, very difficult to get back.”

While up to five AFL clubs are believed to be interested in Greenwood, his link with Adelaide’s national recruiting manager Hamish Ogilvie is almost certain to see him strive towards his football dream in the city of churches.

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Greenwood was a talented junior footballer, representing Tasmania at the national under 16 championships in 2007. He eventually accepted a basketball scholarship at the AIS, spending four years at the institute before heading to the US to join the University of New Mexico.

“I have had a bit to do with a few [AFL] clubs,” Greenwood said. “I wouldn’t have been silly enough to end my basketball career if I didn’t have something guaranteed.

“AFL is not guaranteed, but the chance to play AFL is guaranteed. That’s the bonus of being a Category B rookie – you get to make a choice, you don’t have to go through the draft.”

Grab a copy of Monday’s Mercury to read the challenges ahead for Greenwood.