TO THIS point of Kyah Farris-White’s sporting career, he has been known as a basketballer.

But that wasn’t always his dream.

There was a time in the 18-year-old’s life where footy was his greatest passion, and after signing a Category B Rookie contract with Melbourne, it’s safe to say that love has returned.

“I actually played football for longer than I played basketball,” Farris-White told Melbourne Media.

“Growing up, that was my thing.

“If you look back to Primary School – you know when you write your letter to yourself for when you graduate, mine would’ve said AFL player on it.

“Basketball was a late pick up for me as I got taller.”

He certainly did get taller, currently standing at 206cm and weighing in at 95kg.

The natural ruckman can barely remember the last time he played a game of football, with basketball becoming his priority in recent years.

“When I was very young, I played footy all the time,” Farris-White said.

“Probably less as I got into High School because basketball took over. It was very intensive – three to four days a week.

“As a 12-year-old, that was enough for me.”

And from that point, basketball took him on a journey around the world.

“We moved from Melbourne to Perth in 2019 and I had actually started growing a lot,” he said.

“I was always a tall kid, but … I started growing out of nowhere pretty late.

“I think I was 15 when we came here and I was six foot seven already, so I was playing basketball and I went through Aussie prospects which is an organisation over here.

“We played a couple of tournaments and me and about five or six other boys got sent over to high school in the US.”

Farris-White had two stints in the States, learning plenty about what it takes to play sport at an elite level along the way.

“Basketball there was so different to basketball here – it was quite intensive,” he said.

“I ended up moving from that first school in America, came home, then late 2021 I went to Canada and went to school there.

“Jamal Murray went to the school I went to, so that school was very prestigious.

“Intensive training, great program – that was definitely a good insight into the semi-professional life.”

The dual sport athlete has already begun his ‘pre-pre-season’, preparing his body for a big summer at the Dees.

And he’s hoping his experience with the round ball will come in handy as well.

“A sporting background always helps,” Farris-White said.

“I think basketball is great for the coordination and footwork elements.

“Basketball is a very fine-motor sport, so I think that’ll definitely help.”

Another benefit for Farris-White, who will be moving across the country in the coming weeks, is the fact he grew up locally.

And although his family remain hard-core Blues fans, he’s confident he’ll transition into the red and blue smoothly.

“I’ve got friends in Melbourne so I’m excited to see them,” he said.

“My uncle lives in Melbourne too – I’ve got Melbourne ties for sure.”

Those ties will only strengthen when he pulls on the colours come day one of pre-season.