Emma Greenwood | January 18th, 2012

HARDWORKING guard Brendan Teys is is determined to seize his opportunity with the Blaze in a bid to win a fulltime NBL contract.

The 21-year-old -- in his third season as a development player with the Coast -- has made plenty of sacrifices to ensure he was in the position to grab his opportunity when it comes up.

And having been drafted into the Blaze team to cover for injuries to James Harvey and Chris Goulding, he is determined to make his chance count.

A Brisbane resident, Teys hits the M1 every day for the commute to training on the Coast with fellow development player Zac Carter.

Like Carter and the Blaze's third-slated development player Karl Nilsson, Teys does not earn a wage and conducts clinics for his Queensland Basketball League association to earn a crust.

But he is willing to make the sacrifices to earn a shot at becoming a full-time professional in a sport he loves.

"It's what I want to do, I want to play basketball, have a good career in basketball for a little while," he said.

"You do have to sacrifice a job, you won't get paid as much, but that's just what you have to do, I guess.

"It's chasing the dream. You've just got to sacrifice a few things to get there, like with anything, I suppose."

A defensive specialist, Teys' work ethic has impressed coach Joey Wright, who said he would remain in the main group even if the Blaze brought in another player to cover for either Harvey or Goulding.

"He was thrown into the fire under pressure in two of the toughest places to play (Perth and Melbourne) and he's done an excellent job for us," Wright said.

"Teysey's put in the hard work for the last two or three years, trained every day and driven all the way from Brisbane to the Gold Coast for no pay.

"An opportunity comes and he takes advantage of it because he's ready.

"It's a good story for young kids out there of what you can do.

"We've had a lot of them out there along the way like Teysey that have dropped off. (His elevation) is reward for hard work."

Teys seemed little chance of a full-time gig earlier this season after a stress reaction in his foot.

But having regained full fitness and confidence, Teys is keen to parlay his Blaze stint into a full-time NBL contract next season.

"That's what you strive for as a player," he said.