Warren Carter is definitely in the right place.
For a start, the 28-year-old Texan says he is obsessed with penguins and seals. You do not get too many of them in Texas but in Dunedin, well, there has been the odd sighting.
Secondly, his good friend and mentor Mark Dickel just happens to live in the city and is the Otago Nuggets player-coach.
Thirdly, and most importantly, Carter's preferred style of play ought to fit perfectly with the Nuggets' plans to ''run and gun'' this season.
Last year, the franchise could dominate the exchanges on the inside with Antoine Tisby and BJ Anthony playing a muscular style of basketball.
But Carter has a different body type. At 2.05m and 100kg, he is very lean and more suited to a high-tempo game.
''I'm really good at a lot of stuff but I wouldn't consider myself great at one particular thing besides running and getting up and down the court,'' he said.
''I love transition basketball. But whatever I can do to help the team be successful is where I'll find my role.''
It should not take the Nuggets too long to get the best out of their acquisition. Carter made his professional debut in Turkey, playing alongside Dickel. That was in 2007 and the pair have kept in touch.
''When Mark came to our team, he was like that. He loves to push the ball and get up and down the court.
''He was one of my favourite guards that I have ever played with before. So when he approached me about this, it was easy to come here because he is a really good point guard.
''We have the same mental approach to basketball. With Mark and me in the team, we are going to run - that is just the way we like to play.
''He has always been a player-coach to me. He helped me not only on the court but with personal things off the court.''
Carter, who has a 21-month-old son, Bryce, described his own childhood as ''a difficult time''. His mother served a two-year sentence for burglary when he was young.
''It is something I've never really liked talking about,'' he said.
''It took me a lot of years to open up about it because it was a difficult time growing up.
''But I've been really blessed. Going from that to persevering and working hard, I've got to travel the world and do what I love to do.
''It is hard for me to look at it as something bad because it has moulded me into the man I am today.''
Carter comes to the Nuggets with a strong pedigree. He played college basketball for the University of Illinois.
Illinois was the No 1-ranked team in the nation for most of the 2004-05 season. Carter played in 33 games that season.
His professional career has taken him to Turkey, Spain, Greece, Israel, Latvia and now New Zealand.
''I've never been on this side of the hemisphere before and I'm anxious to get things going.
''Basketball is a tough sport no matter who you are playing against. You have to challenge yourself. I'm still new here so I've got to wait and see before I can comment on [how tough the league is].''
Carter said he could have gone elsewhere in the world to play but he had always wanted to come to New Zealand, and the lure of playing in the Australian league next season also played a part in his decision.
''This is a side of the world that I've alway wanted to see. Also, I've heard great things about this league as well as the Australian league.
''But, honestly, me and Mark just bonded from when we first met each other and have been connected ever since then.
''So it is great timing for me and I believe in coach Dickel a lot. Any way I can help him out, I want to do that.''
Carter will get his first opportunity in a Nuggets singlet in preseason games against the Canterbury Rams in Timaru today and Dunedin tomorrow.
