It’s often said apples don’t fall too far from the tree.

Yet 28-year-old basketball player Lloyd Peterkin has proven to be an exception to the rule.

Peterkin is the nephew of former West Ham star striker Clyde (Bunny) Best who made a name for himself on the football pitch in the UK in the late 1960s and early 70s .

However, Peterkin’s sporting ambitions have taken him in a completely different direction — to Alberta, Canada to be precise.

The 6ft 4inch, 200lb forward/guard has received a full scholarship to attend Red Deer College in Alberta.

And for the seven-year Police officer, this is a long-time dream come true.

“I’ve always wanted to play college basketball or even professionally in Europe. As I started to get older I began to think college may be off the books but I could still end up playing in Europe.

“I actually had opportunities to play in Newcastle and Scotland about three years ago. But for one reason or the other I decided not to take it,” Peterkin told The Royal Gazette.

“But the sky is now the limit and it all really depends on how good I play and my skills develop. I have to be realistic about my age as Father Time is against me. And so I have to be smart with the decisions I make.”

The Bermudian has yet to play the sport competitively in Canada, but has a general idea of the level of competition he will face.

“I’ve played against a lot of Canadians here in Bermuda and they are top-notch players,” Peterkin said.

“People tend to think the US is the only place that plays top-notch basketball. But Canadians definitely have skills too.”

Peterkin, who has averaged 15 points per game this season, plays locally for Sea Venture, one of several teams fighting for a place in the season-ending play-offs.

So how did he end up earning a scholarship at Red Deer?

“I actually went to visit a cousin of mine in Alberta at his school where the coach (Craig Behan) saw me playing on the basketball court. We were actually messing around playing one-on-one and so he (Behan) introduced himself to me and we talked,” explained Peterkin, who hopes to major in computer systems technology during his four years in college.

“At first he asked me why I didn’t come to trials and I replied ‘I was just visiting’. He then asked how long would I be in Alberta for and would I be able to attend practise. I told him I would be in Alberta for a week and agreed to attend practise where every session I got progressively better and better.”

Peterkin admitted he did give football a try at first, but quickly realised he just wasn’t cut out to play the sport — let alone walk in his uncle’s famous footsteps.

“When I used to play for Somerset (football) as soon as people found out I was Clyde Best’s nephew they expected me to have the golden boot. But I spent so much time in the US that when I returned to Bermuda I had two left feet,” Peterkin smiled.

“He (Clyde) has some extremely big shoes to fill, and my uncle and I are very close. But basketball is just a natural to me.”

Best agreed.

“He’s a basketball fanatic. We tease him all of the time but you have to let them do what they want to do. You can’t make paths for them . . . you have to allow them to make their own paths. And he has my total support,” Best said.