The 23-year-old’s high-profile switch from the NBL to the AFL surprised many and Greenwood admitted he didn’t think he’d ‘‘have the guts’’ to do it.

Having represented Tasmania as a teenager in both sports, the Hobart athlete opted for basketball, embarking on a promising college career in the US, breaking into the Boomers team, trialling with NBA side Utah Jazz and joining Perth Wildcats.

But just days into a three-year contract he reverted  to a sport he hadn’t played for eight years, joining Adelaide on a two-year rookie contract in September.

‘‘It all happened really quickly,’’ Greenwood told the Crows’ website.

‘‘I came back to Australia and signed with Perth. I was only there for a couple of weeks. Some things happened and this opportunity presented itself. It was too hard to turn down in the end.

‘‘I’d always kept my options open. I never thought I’d have the guts to actually pull the trigger after doing basketball for so long and putting so much into it.’’

Greenwood said he had kept in contact with Tasmanian coach Hamish Ogilvie, who was appointed the Crows national recruiting manager.

‘‘Haggis (Ogilvie) gave me calls every now and then and told me that if I even thought about coming back to footy, he was the first person I needed to call.

‘‘Sure enough, it was weighing on my mind and I gave him a call. The next thing I know, I’m here in Adelaide.’’

Greenwood, whose late grandfather, Peter Marquis, played in three consecutive VFL premierships (1955-57) in his 99 games with Melbourne, said there were mixed reactions to his career change came.

‘‘People that know me well and understand me have all reached out to me and congratulated me, and believe it’s for the best,’’ he said.

‘‘The Wildcats guys, who I’d grown close with in only a couple weeks that I’d been there, were really supportive considering what happened, as was the club as a whole. They were disappointed, but they supported my decision.

‘‘They told me, ‘It’s not going to be easy’ and I said, ’Yeah, I know. It’s not going to be easy at all.’

‘‘But for myself and my family it was the right thing to do.’’

Greenwood’s mother, Andree, played basketball as does his younger sister, Josie, while their father, Michael, represented Australia at water polo.

Greenwood played junior footy at Lauderdale and said he was taking time rediscovering his skills.

‘‘I’ve played elite-level sports for quite a while but footy is a completely different ball game,’’ he said.

‘‘There’s so much ground to cover. Just my skills as well, I haven’t touched a footy for eight years, so those things will need to come back.

‘‘I’ve worked with the SANFL guys and I’ve got a long way to go to get up to speed with them, and then obviously it’s another step again to get to AFL level.

‘‘It’s a patience thing, and I’m very stubborn and want to achieve as quickly as I can. The reality is, it will take some time. I have to keep telling myself that I’ve been out for eight years. If I continue to do the right things and trust the process, it will all work out.’’

At 193cm and 93kg, Greenwood has aspirations of becoming a big-bodied midfielder and is focusing on getting his cardio and skills up to speed, while his teammates are embarking on their off season.

‘‘I’ll take a couple of weeks off at some stage, so I don’t burn out in the pre-season because all the boys say it’s a gruelling time, and that four months of pre-season isn’t easy.

Having previously trained with the 36ers NBL side, Greenwood said he found  it easy to settle in Adelaide with his partner Kjiersten, and was impressed to be picked up at the airport by Crows captain Taylor Walker.