Seebohm was first signed to the club in a development position but was this week upgraded to the role of Young Australian Player ahead of his debut.

“(The new agreement) helps a lot because it shows the Dragons are willing to put some effort into developing me into a good player,” Seebohm said.

“Hopefully it will help me out with my future aspirations to play for Australia.”

The Young Australian Player initiative was introduced to the national league this season in a bid to boost professional opportunities for talented junior athletes.

All 11 locally-based teams must sign at least one Australian player between the ages of 18 and 24 to its active roster ahead of the new season.

“It’s great, a few of my mates have been given spots at other clubs and it’s really good to see (the league) wants to keep developing young Australian players and keep moving forward in world basketball,” Seebohm said.

The South Australian recruit is also out to make inroads on the international scene, following last month’s efforts at the FIBA World Championships for Under-19 Men in Novi Sad, Serbia.

With a taste of world ball under his belt, Seebohm is intent on one day suiting up for the senior team.

“Serbia was a good experience, we were unlucky not to medal,” he said.

“We only lost one game by one point, which was heartbreaking, but we kept our heads up and won the next two games to finish fifth.

“It was definitely good to see the talent of some of the other players around the world. International basketball is a different game it’s so high-paced and you can’t just be fast and play quick, you have to be able to play smart and grind teams down.

“My main goal now is to play for the Boomers and hopefully to go to the Olympics and to keep playing for the Dragons and keep improving.”

Since representing the Emus at the FIBA world titles, Seebohm has hit the practice court hard with his Crazy John’s South Dragons teammates in preparation for the season ahead.

“The first couple of sessions were pretty tough but I’m starting to get used to it now and I’m having a lot of fun,” Seebohm said.

“Probably the biggest adjustment you have to make is the physicality of it all, because you’re playing against men now instead of teenagers, so that’s definitely been the toughest thing for me to adjust to.

“I’m just excited for the season to come around and to see what it’s all about, I can’t wait. If I can improve and start getting on the court that would be a bonus, but I’m just here to improve as much as I can and kick-start my career.”

With his first two points already on the board in the club’s recent hit-out against the Gold Coast Blaze, Seebohm looks set to become one of the brightest Young Australian Players in the league in season 2007/08.