George Stevens, Jaylen Brown to represent state at 2021 Australian basketball championships

The multi-talented teenager will represent Vic Country at the Basketball Australia under 18 championships in Werribee next month.

He'll also don his football boots for NAB League club Greater Western Victoria Rebels in the under 17 round-robin competition.

"I love both, I love sport that much and especially missing a year (in 2020 because of COVID-19), all I wanted to do was play," Stevens said.

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"I wanted to play any sport I could. The opportunity sounded too good to be true."

Stevens is one of two Warrnambool athletes in the Basketball Victoria program with Jaylen Brown making the state team for the Kevin Coombs Cup.

Stevens said being in an elite environment appealed to him.

The Warrnambool-based teenager, who is still only 15, said he wanted to keep his sporting options open too.

"That juggle is something I am going to have to work with but it works out pretty well because the championships are in April," he said.

"I am so keen. I am very much looking forward to getting into it, playing hard and playing some games in that week of April (after Easter) and then focusing back towards footy a bit more."

Stevens represented Victoria in basketball at under 12 level before putting more emphasis on football.

The Emmanuel College student said he was happy to be back in the elite program as a bottom-age under 18 prospect. He will play as a guard or small forward, depending on team line-ups.

"I am absolutely stoked, over the moon and grateful for the opportunity," he said.

"I had a few people talk to me from (Warrnambool) basketball and they encouraged me to get back into it.

"They said they were going to be flexible with me towards my footy which I really liked."

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Stevens, who plays for South Warrnambool locally, hopes to play at half-back and in the midfield for the GWV Rebels.

"I love it, that's where I play at home. When I got up there (for the trial matches) and they put me up there I was absolutely stoked," he said.

"At half-back and the way I try and play, as well as defending, you try and be an offensive backman.

"You can see the game the whole time. I think I am pretty good at reading the play so I know how the game is going to come to me."

Stevens is working hard at school too. The year 10 student is doing two year 11 subjects - health and human development and psychology.

Brown, who also combines basketball and football, is a regular at the Kevin Coombs Cup which is for wheelchair players under 22.

The Emmanuel College student, 16, has represented Queensland twice and Victoria four times already.

He wants to "get back on court and compete hard" and was eager to embrace "the pathways it leads on to".

"I just want to get everyone involved and hopefully get a medal of some sort," the 2018 gold medallist said.

Brown, who plays football for Koroit, was drafted to AFL club Hawthorn's wheelchair football team.

He said the two sports "differ a lot".

"The speed in basketball is a lot faster and constant," he said.

"Footy is a lot stop-start."

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