Collingwood have beaten Geelong for the signature of basketballer and former elite junior footballer Tom Wilson, who will join the Magpies on a three-year deal.

Collingwood and Geelong both made concerted efforts to land Wilson, who finally chose the Magpies after meeting with both clubs and also with Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson, who made a belated bid for the ex-Sydney Kings basketballer who has played for the Boomers.

Tom Wilson (right) is making the switch from basketball to Australian rules. Credit:AAP

Wilson, 21, will join the Magpies as a category B rookie, the rule that allows athletes from other sports, such as Geelong's Mark Blicavs, Collingwood's Mason Cox and the many Irish converts to sign outside of the draft.

Wilson differs, however, from most category B recruits in the AFL in that he played the game at a high level as a 16-year-old, when he was in the Victorian team and was viewed as one of the better players in the system; he was then about 188 centimetres and has since grown to 194 centimetres.