Hugh Greenwood Basketball Image: Getty Images

Young Aussies are having their now customary impact on the American college basketball season, with the likes of Matthew Dellavedova, Brock Motum, Ryan Broekhoff and Anthony Drmic enjoying standout years.

But in college hoops, it’s March that matters, and the player with the best chance of inspiring some madness might be Hugh Greenwood. The Tasmanian, who will turn 20 just before the NCAA Tournament, is a key cog in a strong University of New Mexico team that has the potential to make a deep run in the postseason – even all the way to the vaunted Final Four.

WHAT’S HIS STORY?

Hailing from Hobart, Greenwood earned the nickname “Baby Hughy” when he left home for the AIS at age 15, becoming the youngest player ever to enter the institute’s basketball program. He would go on to captain Australia’s under-17 and under-19 teams, and had his breakout moment at the 2011 FIBA Under-19 World Championships in Latvia. Greenwood led the Aussies in scoring with 17.1 points per game and was named in the all-tournament team, joining the likes of current NBA rookies Jonas Valanciunas and Jeremy Lamb.

Having previously committed to New Mexico, the school that produced Luc Longley (albeit before Greenwood was born), Greenwood headed for his freshman season of US college ball with a fair degree of anticipation. He made the transition look deceptively easy, quickly moving into the starting line-up as the Lobos went on to win their conference title and make it to the last 32 of the NCAA, losing to eventual Final Four team Louisville. After the college season, Greenwood made it to the final round of cuts for the 2012 Olympic team – acknowledgment that a future spot on the Boomers is a certainty.

WHO’S HE LIKE?

A heady lead guard with good size (190cm), a player who uses high basketball IQ rather than depending on superior athleticism, equally capable of facilitating for team-mates as scoring himself – it could serve as a description of Dellavedova, the St Mary’s College star who impressed mightily for the Boomers in London, and someone Greenwood looked up to while they were both at the AIS. The blond mop, deep range and competitive gusto also surely calls to mind a bit of Shane Heal.

Greenwood has yet to show his best at New Mexico, where he has taken it upon himself to be a role player in a backcourt loaded with talent. While team-mates Tony Snell and Kendall Williams make the flashy plays, Greenwood directs traffic, spaces the floor with his shooting and rebounds hard against larger opponents. The balance plainly works – New Mexico was once again ranked among the top 20 teams in college basketball at midseason, with as good a chance as anyone in a year that appears to be wide open. Snell and Williams will eventually move on to the pros within the next year or so, which will give Greenwood – who seems to have already developed a rapport with New Mexico’s rather devoted fans – the chance to be the big man on campus.

WHAT DO THEY SAY?

“Hugh is just so unselfish. He is one of those guys that the first statistic he looks at is assists-to-turnovers. That is what you want from a player ... He is almost too unselfish.” New Mexico coach Steve Alford.