Pendlebury started as a basketballer I think.

Wasn't Pendlebury (pretty handy footballer) replaced at the AIS by Petty Mills.

Plus those other that transferred, how would have their pro basketball career progressed and would have they made a living from it - a la Josh Jenkins, nicely employed for the past few years.

Ricky Henderson is another one with a basketball background and limited AFL prior to being drafted (rookie draft).

Some certainly do, but I think there are guys that do very well at Basketball, that would struggle in the AFL.
Somebody like Jawai would certainly be a massive presence, and would be hard to shift from the goal square, but he wouldn't have the tank for modern AFL.

I've previously read that Knight wants to play for West Perth when he retires from NBL. He'd make a great around the ground ruckman, or forward, but his lack of speed would preclude him from AFL.

Worthington actually tried out for the Eagles, and decided it wasn't for him.
Smaller, quick, agile, skillful guys like Prather would make good midfielders and small forwards, if they could master the ball skills, AND the increased level of fitness.

This gets discussed about 2 or 3 times a year on hoops.com.au.

There are NUMEROUS threads related to this. The last was http://www.hoops.com.au/forum/36943-basketball-players-stopping-to-play-afl/

Previously Paul Roos, Tony Shaw, Terry Wallace all played a high level of basketball. No doubt there's been plenty more.

Basically a good sportman in one sport will often translate to being a good sportsman in another. There's been plenty of AFL players that gave up on promising cricket careers, not just basketball.

I can verify that the AFL recruiters rate basketball IQ, the ball handling and the decision making that comes with having played basketball extremely highly.

I personally know that both Hawthorn & Richmond have borrowed from basketball strategies in the past.

It is also that basketball is one of the few 360 degree sports like AFL which gives players that awareness that translates.

On the flipside, football players make terrible basketballers.

Was this a Kevin Bartlett quote? It just reeks of Kevin Bartlett.

It was former Crows captain, Chris McDermott speaking on radio 5aa

Jesse White was a top junior baller in QLD, played with Kurt Tippett. Was with the Swans last time I checked a few years ago, no idea what he's doing now though.

Also this from 2009

http://www.hoops.com.au/forum/19043-afl-afl-players-that-used-to-be-b-ballers/

re Tony Shaw
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/blue-collar-to-red-carpet/story-e6frf9jf-1225875256571

Quoting the article: He would often cover the 8km from home to the Coburg Basketball Club, playing a sport in which he reached state level at age 16.

"But I knew I was never going to go any further in basketball because of to my lack of height (170cm), so footy was it," Shaw said before his induction last night into the AFL Hall of Fame.

"I would run or walk to the basketball, or football at Keon Park, when Max and Beth McLeod couldn't take me, but they took me a lot," he said

"It was former Crows captain, Chris McDermott speaking on radio 5aa"

Bone is the Adelaide version of Kevin Bartlett. So that makes perfect sense.

Jesse White plays for Collingwood now btw.

There are too many good examples of basket ballers making it in AFL, (Roughead, Blicsavs, Pendlebury etc..), but not so much the other way, so I would tend to disagree with the OP's comment...

Scott West played for VIC Metro as a junior before choosing football.

I think size still has a lot to do with it.
If you are sub 6ft, you need to be an exceptional shooter to make it in basketball, otherwise most PGs are around 6ft or taller. Whereas there are plenty of sub 6ft midfielders and small defenders/forwards in AFL. (Although there is now a trend towards bigger mids.)
At the other end, if you are over 200cm in AFL, that's ruckman size, and that's a small category, whereas that is almost starting size for a PF. Truly tall guys are still rare in the AFL. It took a long time for Sandilands to become something more than a tap winning flagpole. He's their tallest player, yet he's only the same height as Tom Jervis.

Seems there was an afl blockbuster on queens birthday and mason cox was game mvp..

Maybe McDermott needs to look at the crows Womens captain. Clearly best AWFL player in the country.

Don't agree. They often make great footballers. Local SA kid Izak Rankine is on his way to the AFL for sure and also playing DIV 1 for Forestville.

AFLW they literally pluck girls out of the top basketball divs and offer them a place in development squads.

...seems afl havea mvp ... i don't even know what it's about... i think players vote for it....

Agree with the 360 degree game point.

Junior AFL and Junior basketball players can play both sports well, as the hand skills, peripheral vision and all around awareness translate across.

Junior league players struggle with this awareness in both basketball and AFL. They tend to get tackled or have the ball stripped from behind or to the sides. They're just not used to defenders being anywhere but in front of them.

Mason Cox is an interesting example. Safe to say he never played AFL as a junior or in college. I’ve heard in media he needed to be taught how to kick the ball. But would Collingwood have persevered this long with his development if he was born in Australi?

But would Collingwood have persevered this long with his development if he was born in Australi?