Meet Jordan Rawls, the American talent recruited to Moss Vale Magic

Jordan Rawls is a 26-year-old Division III-level college basketball player from Allegheny College in Meadville who loves Australia.

NSW is the third state he's played for, including Victoria and South Australia.

"I just always wanted a chance to play basketball and do what I love, and to make some money and get an opportunity to travel the world doing it," Rawls told the Southern Highland News.

When he was 23, Rawls walked himself into his first professional opportunity in Victoria.

"I just came down here (to Australia), organised my own flight and visa and everything and was invited to a training camp for the Mount Gambia Pioneers, and they decided to sign me on a partial contract," he said.

"I'm just always looking for opportunities."

Recruited earlier this year to the Moss Vale Magic Men's team, Rawls said he was enjoying his Southern Highlands experience.

"It's good ... it's a competitive league and there's a lot of travel, so I love the fact that I get to visit new places and see different parts of Australia," he said.

"Also, I'm just doing what I love."

Part of his contract with the Moss Vale Magic team includes various coaching responsibilities, such as the Moss Vale Mini Hoops program, and at St Thomas Aquinas Primary School in Bowral.

"I coach back in the States for an organisation called the Scoring Factory, and just from my experience doing individual one-on-one (coaching), some of the coordinators and some of the people on the board here got me involved with St Thomas," Rawls said.

"I'm talking to every class from kindergarten all the way up through to year 6, and I just get about a 30-45-minute session with them where I can tell them some things, take them through drills, run them through some different things.

"It's about having fun, but I also want them to learn things," he said.

Rawls said he enjoys taking the students through all things basketball, from triple threads, proper form, making good passes or layups. His aim is to have the students fall in love with the sport.

"Basketball has always been my love," he said.

"My dad played too, so I kind of followed in his footsteps."

"This is something that a lot of people don't start to build a habit around until they're older," Rawls said.

"The small details are what differentiate the best players from the mediocre players, so whether that's making sure that your eyes are up, or finishing jumping off the right foot, whether it's working on going through contacts, whether it's touching the line on sprints, I always think the small details are what really differentiate."

"Everybody wants to go out and score 40 points and do all that, but basketball is a team game and there are other things to do on a courtside than just score," Rawls said.

"Know your role, or make sure you always play your role - it doesn't always have to be scoring. Sometimes you can be a passer, or you could be a defensive player, you can be a rebounder; there are a lot of things, and whether you come off the bench or you're a starter, just know that you need to do what you can to help your team win."

"In my opinion, it's more important to win than to build your personal stats," Rawls said.

Rawls will be in Moss Vale until the end of the season. Head to the Moss Vale & District Basketball website for more information.