IF there was ever an athlete made for US college basketball, it's Venky Jois.

The 18-year-old has accepted a scholarship with Eastern Washington University and will move to his new home in Cheney, Washington next September.

Jois, a 196-centimetre jumping jack, starred for the Dandenong Rangers South East Australian Basketball League team this year, winning the SEABL under-23 player of the year award.

With the Eagles losing several forwards to graduation at the end of the current season, Jois hopes to find court time in his rookie season.

A keen scholar who wants to eventually become a doctor or physiotherapist, Jois said he looked closely at a number of schools, with Eastern Washington winning his heart via its coaching staff and its appealing medical sciences degrees. He hopes to major in biology.

But while Jois closely reviewed the school's academic standing, he put a microscope over the basketball program after taking advice from several veteran Rangers teammates who had played college basketball.

"The two things which they told me were to pick the school whose coach you respond well to and also to speak to the walk-ons and players on the end of the bench. Those players can give you a more realistic take on how the school is."

Jois said he was excited to play under Eagles coach Jim Hayford and player development coach and former NBA player Craig Ehlo, who spent a decade in the NBA, most notably with Cleveland Cavaliers, where he was immortalised as the player Michael Jordan shot over to hit a famous shot.

Jois said Ehlo was the sort of player he modelled his own game on.

Hayford lavished praise on Jois during his announcement of the Eagles' recruits for the 2012-13 season.

"Venky brings to us freakish athleticism with a great basketball IQ," Hayford said. "Not only will he be one of the top incoming basketball players at Eastern Washington, but he will be one of our top incoming students academically."

Jois said he would look for a job to tide him over next year in between training heavily with the Rangers and by himself in preparation for his move to the States.

While Jois will play the majority of the 2012 SEABL season, he could miss games in July as he plans to attend summer school classes at Eastern Washington. "Hopefully, I will come back just in time for the Rangers to begin the play-offs," he said.

The Rangers' WNBL side hosts Bulleen Boomers at Dandenong Stadium this Friday night at 7.30.