Blake Allison was never one to stand out. But that's exactly makes him so valuable.
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The 23-year-old has become the latest Ballarat Miners youth player to be elevated to the senior squad.
He will suit up with the Ballarat Miners' NBL1 outfit in April, after earning the final roster spot as a development player.
"It's definitely exciting," he said.
"It's a little bit out of the blue. I thought that the roster was pretty solid and it would be hard to crack.
"To be told I'd done enough to crack the side really caught me by surprise."
It might have surprised Allison, but it should come as no shock to those that watched him in 2019.
The Melton native thrived in the front court for the Ballarat Miners youth last season. His selfless attitude and jack-of-all-trades play style helped lead the side to a championship in his first year at the club.
So much so that people took notice. By the end of the year he found himself on the end of the Ballarat bench during the Miners' NBL1 finals campaign.
"Winning the championship was surreal," he recalled of 2019.
"Playing with the youth team and then in the NBL1, and getting the opportunity to impart my knowledge on those younger guys was great."
Playing time might be scarce for Allison in the senior ranks, but that won't stop him from making the most of his opportunities in 2020. He said he will fill whatever role the team needs, whether it was defence or an extra voice on the floor.
"Being given a bigger role means a bigger opportunity to learn in my eyes," Allison said.
"I hope to learn a lot from Brendan (Joyce) and the NBL-caliber guys who will come back and play. I'm all for getting my arse whooped at training if it means I'll learn something.
A team-first approach will be the mantra for Allison, who joked he often got yelled at by coaches and teammates for being too unselfish.
He said he wasn't about to change now.
"Team first is how I've always played. I don't see how I'd change that, it's ingrained in me and is my identity as a basketball player," he said.
"I've never really stood out at any one thing, I've just been pretty good at a lot of them."
Allison will join fellow youth league players Zac Dunmore and Ross Weightman in the senior side in 2020.
They will join a core consisting of NBL-level players Sam Short, Kuany Kuany and Deng Acuoth, as well as experienced SEABL journeymen Daniel Joyce and Liam Gibcus.
