DUBAI (FIBA U17 World Championship) - Don't be surprised if Tommy Wilson's game picks up greatly in the next couple years. After all, Australia's captain at the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship has only been playing basketball exclusively for the past year.

Wilson started playing basketball when he was around 11 years old. He had already been playing both Australian Rules Football and cricket for about five years by that time. He attended a national academy for Australian Football League (AFL) and played state level cricket.

"I was playing two sports at a time pretty much all the time," said the East St Kilda native, who gave up Aussie Rules Football last year after having dropped cricket the year before that.

"I was alright (in the other two sports), but I'm here now with basketball. Just my love for the game is better."

Wilson said both sports have helped him in basketball.

"Cricket really doesn't translate as much, patience probably. And with AFL, it's just courage and being kind of tough and knowing you're going to get hits going for rebounds or going up for lay-ups, and being more prepared for that because it's a physical game. That's helped me a lot," said the shooting guard, who has averaged 9.0 points and 6.5 rebounds through Australia's first two games in Dubai.

Wilson said he kind of just takes what he can get on the offensive end and tries to be a team player and get everyone involved. But he's still getting used to being the Aussie captain.

"I'm trying to deal with that, how to be a leader and how to deal with everybody else, what they want and that sort of stuff. I’m still learning on that part but I’m loving it,” said the 17-year-old.

"It's a massive honour. You cannot put into words how much it means. It's been a dream of mine since I've been a little kid to captain my country and I finally get the chance. It's been amazing."

Wilson definitely has the support of his team.

"He's a great player, I love the kid. He's a tough player and always wants to win and competes well. He's a great person to lead us into this championship. I believe he can lead us all the way and he will step up when he has to," Australia's leading scorer, Dejan Vasiljevic, said of his team-mate.

When Wilson started playing basketball, Boomer Joe Ingles was a guy he always looked up to.

"I've always been a massive fan of his and how he goes about his business. I love the way he plays," he explained.

More recently, Wilson has turned his attention to the likes of Matthew Dellavedova, Patty Mills and Dante Exum.

"All those guys are setting great pathways for us younger guys. They give back to us. They come into camps and help us out. It's really good," he said.

Wilson admits the 2012 U17 Worlds Australian team - which featured Exum and finished second in Kaunas - has really given the 2014 side more confidence.

"Seeing them get a silver set the benchmark for us. Seeing them do it gave us the attitude of 'why can't we get a medal?' That's definitely been a massive part of our success, seeing them succeed two years ago," he explained.

Gerard Martin was one member of the 2012 group who has been especially helpful for the team in Dubai.

"He was great. He's helped me a lot. He told me what to prepare for, what you're going to see at the Worlds. He was great for us. There are six of us at the Australian Institute of Sports (AIS) and he shared his experience there and said go and enjoy it and play your best."

For Wilson, that means now focusing all of his attention on basketball.

FIBA