Flint will play this season with the Braves D-League side before heading to Klamath Falls in Oregon to take up a five-year scholarship.

“There’s a lot of hard work that’s gone into this,” Flint said.

“It’s been a long-term goal of mine to get into a college and I’ve done everything I could in the past three or four years to give myself the best chance of making it.

“It’s nice to see the work pay off. It’s a big commitment, but it’s something I’m really looking forward to”

Flint’s performances with Victoria Country at national junior level sparked the interest of Oregon Tech’s recruiting staff.

A holiday to the United States in December late last year to see his grandmother helped seal the deal for Flint.

Austen’s father David, one of the Bendigo Braves' greatest players, grew up in Portland, Oregon.

“My grandmother lives about a six-hour drive away from Klamath Falls, so we were able to drive down and check out the school and the city,” he said.

“We spoke with the basketball coach for about an hour and watched the team train and then got to see what the school was like.

“The schooling is just as important to me, so it was good to get a feel for what the school is about.

“Being reasonably close to where my grandmother lives is huge for me as well.

“Obviously, she hasn’t seen me play much, so it will be nice to have her watch a few games.”

Two weeks ago Oregon Tech sent Flint a letter of intent to sign with the school and the 19-year-old had little hesitation in accepting the offer.

“It’s a four-year scholarship, but it will turn out to be five years because in the first year I’m going to red-shirt,” Flint said.

“That means I’ll train with the team for the first year, but won’t be able to play any games. I won’t play my first game until 2011, but with 12 months training under my belt over there I think I’ll be in a better position to earn court time and be a leader on the team.”

Seven Australians have played at Oregon Tech in the past, including Braves championship-winning guard Sam Fotu.

“The Australian players have done well there and enjoyed the experience,” Flint said.

“Klamath Falls has a population of about 50,000, so it’s about half the size of Bendigo. The basketball team is the main sporting team in town and it gets great support.”