Matt Dea played only the last two home-and-away games, and an elimination final for the Rebels after spending the rest of the season meeting basketball commitments.

From Mildura, Dea became a boarder at Ballarat Clarendon College, initially to pursue his basketball.

He captained the Victorian country under-18 team and earlier this year was selected in the Victorian under-20 squad, before going on to play with the Ballarat Nuggets in the SEABL D League.

Dea had hoped to secure a college basketball scholarship in the United States, but when this failed to come to fruition he began to turn his attention to football.

Although he played just a handful of games with the Rebels, Dea provided a sample of his potential while representing Ballarat Clarendon College.

Dea is predicted to be picked up in the second half of tonight's draft.

If this happens, he will not be the first promising basketballer to have switched sporting allegiances and been drafted via the Rebels.

Troy Chaplin (Port Adelaide), twins Nathan (Collingwood) and Mitchell Brown (West Coast Eagles), and Jordan Roughead (Western Bulldogs) are the others.

Dea, Andrew Hooper, David Astbury, Josh Cowan, Marcus Darmody and Oliver Tate make up the main group of North Ballarat Rebels hoping to embark on an AFL career via the national draft, or next

month's rookie draft.

Hooper, Astbury and Cowan each attended draft camp in Canberra, while Dea, Darmody and Tate went on show at a state screening session.

Hooper takes outstanding credentials to the draft, having been named in the All-Australian under-18 team and tying for the best and fairest award in the carnival.

EDDIE Prato could become the second Ballarat Miners basketballer to be drafted in as many years.

Adelaide plucked guard Ricky Henderson out of the blue in last year's rookie draft.

Prato from Carisbrook debuted for the Miners this year after returning from a stint playing college basketball in Virginia, US. He has been linked with the Western Bulldogs.