HUGH Greenwood says reuniting with the man who helped re-train his football skills was a big reason why he settled on playing for Gold Coast.

Following his decision to leave behind a professional basketball career in 2015, Greenwood was coming from a long way back when Adelaide took a punt on the promising junior footballer.

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And the man tasked with helping Greenwood was Crows development coach Tate Kaesler, who now works in a similar role with the Suns.

"He was really patient with me," Greenwood said following his first official training session with Gold Coast on Monday.

"When I got to Adelaide I couldn't kick, couldn't handball, no one wanted a bar of me.

"I think he's got a little soft spot for basketballers, he's a wannabe basketballer Tate.

"He really took me under his wing and showed a lot of patience with me as my development coach. He was with me every day.

"I owe a lot to him to be in this position, so to be back with him full circle is awesome."

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Kaesler told AFL.com.au he recalled Greenwood's early days at the Crows, working with someone who had spent the previous four years at the University of New Mexico on a basketball scholarship.

"It was a while since he'd played footy, so he was pretty raw," Kaesler said.

"The best thing about Hugh was his attitude.

"We did a fair bit of work up on the shed floor most days, getting his touch back and learning to kick a footy again.

"It was a fair routine. We took him out of a lot of general training to work on his fundamentals to get him right. A lot of skill stuff."

Hugh Greenwood credits Tate Kaesler for getting his football skills up to speed. Picture: AFL Photos

Greenwood also worked closely with Suns midfield coach Josh Francou when he was at Adelaide in 2018.

"I'm so thankful it worked out and immediately no regrets," Greenwood said.

"I'm so excited to be here. The last two weeks I've got such a positive impression and the buy-in from everyone and the communication between coaches, players and everyone has been so transparent."

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Almost the entire Suns list returned to training on Monday, with vice-captain Touk Miller taking out the two-kilometre time trial for players with five years or more of experience.

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