University of the Sunshine Coast student Steven Elliott has been selected to represent Australia in wheelchair basketball at the Kitakyushu Champions Cup in Japan next week.

Steven, 21, of Gympie, is combining a Sports Studies degree with high level training as an inaugural recipients of USC’s Sports Elite and Education Dual Stream (SEEDS) scholarships, and was named in the Australian Under 23 Spinners side to take on United States, Great Britain and Japan at the four-nation tournament.

Launched at USC this year, the SEEDS program is the first dual para-sport and tertiary program in Australia.

Steven plays as a power forward for the RSL Queensland Spinning Bullets in the National Wheelchair Basketball League, and the tournament in Japan will be his debut for Australia.

Steven, a first-year USC student, said he couldn’t wait to compete at the international level.

“The tournament will be a real eye opener for me. We’re up against some really high-quality teams,” he said.

Steven said he hoped his performance in Japan would boost his chances for selection in the Australian Under 23 team to compete at the IWBF World Championship in Toronto next June.

— Gen Kennedy