The 'cherry on the top': Aggies scoring leader Jaycee Carroll honored with jersey retirement

LOGAN — The story of Jaycee Carroll's legacy at Utah State began with a desperate hunt for a Division I scholarship during a spring break road trip his senior year in high school.

It ended with his jersey hanging in the rafters.

Carroll, the Aggies' all-time leading scorer, was honored with a jersey retirement ceremony on Saturday night in the Spectrum during halftime of Utah State's 75-66 win over Nevada.

As a rural Wyoming hooper turned world renowned shooter, it's a proper way to encapsulate the journey of a kid from Evanston who is now a household name from Mendon to Madrid.

"For me, tonight's an amazing honor," Carroll said in a statement ahead of the game. "When I got the call from our athletic director (Jerry Bovee), I was so excited — thrilled. It just really (feels) like a very nice ending or cherry on the top of my basketball career of the dream I wanted to live."

The Utah State fan base and Cache Valley community often romanticizes Carroll's tenure in an Aggies uniform, which lasted from 2004-08. That same fan base, though, made sure to sell out the arena and was quick to rise to its feet when the shooting guard's jersey was unveiled on the court.

After rousing chants of "Jaycee Carroll'' echoed the walls where the No. 20 will permanently call home, Carroll addressed the crowd in a heartfelt two-minute speech, where he thanked his family, former teammates, and former head coach Stew Morrill for helping him make his dreams a reality.

Carroll finished his Utah State career with 2,522 points — 18.8 points per game through four seasons — and shot 46.5% from 3-point range, the second highest percentage in NCAA history. During his collegiate tenure, the Aggies went 94-40 and qualifyied for two NCAA Tournament berths, as well as two NIT appearances.

After his time at Utah State, Carroll developed an illustrious professional career, playing 12 seasons overseas, 10 of which were with Euro League power Real Madrid, where he averaged over double digits in eight seasons and won several Spanish league super cups and a Euro League championship.

In reflecting on his career prior the ceremony, though, his mind seemed to drift to the beginning.

"With the fans and the crowd tonight, the message is: Thank you for everything that you've done for me," Carroll said. "I don't get to have such a cool night like this if it wasn't for the coaches that I had, the teammates I had, the people in my hometown that brought me up and gave me the opportunity and believed in me."

In 2002, the Evanston High senior made a concerted effort to get a college scholarship and averaged nearly 40 points per game. He mailed video tapes of his game film to different colleges. But due to his high school competition, he didn't get much recruiting attention — even from his home school, Wyoming, who balked on a scholarship offer.

So with the season over and graduation approaching, Carroll hit the road. He visited Idaho State, Utah State and Weber State, and scrimmaged with the teams. He managed to make a lasting impression on his second stop, though.

"Very first game, first play, I came off with a down screen shot and a 3-pointer — made it," Carroll said of his scrimmage inside the Spectrum. "Make a short story long, supposedly one of the players, I think it was Brennan Ray, came up and said, 'Hey, this guy's good. You should make a move.'"

Former Aggies assistant coach and former Weber State head coach Randy Rahe called Carroll a few days later and said: "Look, we have one scholarship, we've offered it to two guys. Whoever says (yes) first gets it."

After two hours of deliberation, Carroll called back and accepted it. Little did he know until years later that there was no other guy; Rahe just wanted to lock his commitment in (Rahe used the same tactic to get Damian Lillard at Weber State).

Fast forward 20 years and Carroll is retired and living on a ranch in Wellsville with his wife, Bailey, and their four children. He's been around the program, attends games and practices, and has built a relationship with both the men's and women's teams. His message to student-athletes often revolves around one thing: cherishing the opportunity.

"I've spent a lot of time in basketball, and there's something I do have to offer," he said. "And in those brief moments, one of the things I do share with them and tell them I'm most proud of is — at least as it sits right now — no one has played in an Aggie jersey more minutes then I have. I've played more minutes than any other person.

"And my message is that's one of the things I'm most proud of. And you never know how many minutes those will be, so make the most of them; enjoy this opportunity you've been given, there's people dying to do what you're doing right now, so make the most of it."

Carroll undoubtedly cherished the moment on Saturday afternoon as he was honored in front of an array of former teammates and coaches that included Kris Clark, Tyler Newbold, Tai Wesley, Gary Wilkinson, Pooh Williams, Spencer Nelson, and Don Verlin, among others. Even former Aggies guard Sam Merrill, on break from G League duties with the Cleveland Charge, made the trip.

"Honestly, when this all came about, we're also honoring our 2008 WAC championship team," Carroll said. "I really tried to make an effort to get a hold of those teammates and say, 'Hey, come. Come no matter how much you played, what you've done since then; come hang out. Come be a part of this. Come remember what we did as an Aggie family here in the Spectrum, as a community.' And it's been awesome."

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