Jaycee Carroll, the former player of Real Madrid, spoke to Basketball Sphere about his time wearing the white jersey, his life in retirement and other topics.
Carroll is someone who left a huge mark in Madrid. He spent a significant part of his career there, and if you think about Real Madrid teams from the past decade, he’s certainly one of the players who will come to mind.
Now in his fifth decade, he has returned to the United States, specifically to Utah. He spent four years studying at Utah State University in Salt Lake City. Our first question was about how he’s doing in retirement, and he expressed that it’s not easy.
“As I sat next to the court and watched my team play, I thought about how challenging it is. My teammates, friends, many of them are still playing. The opportunity to play with friends and compete at that level is something that can’t last forever, and I will always miss those feelings,” Jaycee Carroll began the conversation for our website.
Jaycee Carroll’s impact wasn’t limited to just the Spanish capital. His college team, the Utah State Aggies, retired the number 20 jersey in his honor. He explained what that meant to him in carefully chosen words.
“I thought it was incredible! It’s something you work your whole life for. You want to try to be part of a university’s history, and it was a great honor for me to see my number go up into the rafters.”
Career at Real Madrid
After a fantastic college career, Jaycee Carroll decided to try his luck in Europe. First, he was a member of Italian team Teramo Basket, which unfortunately disbanded in 2012. After that, he went to the Canary Islands, specifically joining Gran Canaria. After two years, he received a call that many would say is hard to refuse. He briefly told us about the negotiation process with the leaders of Los Blancos.
“It was a really simple process. I spent two years in Gran Canaria, where I played against them at least twice every year. I also played against Barcelona. So, I played at the highest level against the best teams in Europe. To be perfectly honest, negotiations started because I had good games against them. I played well and had the skill set that Real Madrid was looking for at that time.”
Belgrade – remembered for good and bad
Petar Bozic, current head coach of London Lions, earned the nickname “Jaycee Carroll stop” after his defensive heroics against our interviewee. However, it wasn’t just him who stayed in the American’s memory, but also the teams that caused a lot of trouble for Real Madrid.
“I remember having many tough battles in Belgrade. You had to fight for everything, those teams were very physically imposing. I didn’t win many games in Belgrade, to be honest. I had a few good games, but yes, Belgrade and Serbian teams… it was very difficult with them.”
The Final Four in 2018 was the first organized in Belgrade. The title returned to Madrid, and our interlocutor was an important part of Pablo Laso’s team. However, he pointed out that that team probably shouldn’t have been in the final, but at the same time, Jaycee Carroll enjoyed himself in the Serbian capital.
“My best memory of that team is that we probably shouldn’t have been in the final. We finished the regular season in fifth place. We had a very tough game against Panathinaikos in the quarterfinals, where we lost by almost 30 points (95:67). Then I remember everything clicked suddenly. We won the second game and didn’t lose a game after that. We won all the remaining games. What I remember most is that Belgrade was amazing.
My wife flew in and had a great time. The hospitality was great, and the Stark Arena itself is amazing. We had tough games there in front of sold-out stands. As for the games themselves, I fulfilled my role. Did I stand out? No, but I did what was needed. I hit shots and helped the team be in a position to win. I played decent defense, and it was a game where Edy Tavares shined, as did Trey Thompkins. Of course, Luka Doncic was also great then.”
Mentoring Luka Doncic
Being a mentor to a talent like Luka Doncic is surely challenging. However, it was necessary because we must remember that the young Slovenian was only 16 years old when he debuted for the senior team of Real Madrid. Jaycee Carroll spoke highly of him.
“We were mentors to him as much as we could. I remember Pablo Laso playing one-on-one with him, especially during the preseason. As a veteran, I tried to help him be successful. Luka Doncic did things that were incredible. He has a skill set that probably almost no one else has. He recorded seven consecutive triple-doubles, and he’s really good, man.”
Teams often develop a family identity. This is somehow very present in the two biggest sports sections of Los Blancos.
“These guys are like brothers to me. Every team with which you win a championship and achieve great things will remain a brotherhood. Basketball is always a collective thing for everyone, but I can sit down with anyone and talk because of that brotherhood. Languages, cultures, countries, all of that becomes shared, and I’m very proud to be part of European basketball history.”
Jaycee Carroll and Montenegro?
Yes, you saw that right. There was a possibility in 2013 for Jaycee Carroll to wear the red jersey and become a member of the Montenegrin national team. However, that quickly fell through, and he ended up joining the Azerbaijan national team.
“I spent six weeks with Azerbaijan national team and went through the EuroBasket qualifiers. Then, I can’t remember if it was during that period or a year or two later, the opportunity arose to play for Montenegro, which could have been amazing. The head coach (Luka Pavicevic) reached out, and I was supposed to come and practice individually in the summer. In the end, things didn’t work out, but it could have been a cool experience.”
Azerbaijan has brought in two new players in the pre-qualifying window for the FIBA World Cup 2027: Zach LeDay and Donta Hall. Of course, “Azeris” don’t have a developed basketball tradition, but Jaycee Carroll believes that basketball can be developed there, citing several examples of good practice.
“I think it can. The situation is tricky because people feel the way they feel. It’s an opportunity, and it can help develop European teams. It can really provide a good boost. I remember Bo McCalebb came to North Macedonia. Serge Ibaka and Nikola Mirotic played for Spain. Definitely, you can start a program like that, fill in the rotation gaps, and if done moderately, I have nothing against it.”
The brawl in the Madrid last year
We all remember the brawl at the end of the second game EuroLeague quarterfinals between Real Madrid and Partizan last year. Jaycee Carroll, of course, followed that unfortunate event and had an interesting perspective on it.
“I watched it from the other side of the world, in another country, and I didn’t know the circumstances. All I knew was that these were my guys, my friends, my teammates. All I thought at that moment was that I wished I was there to fight alongside them.”
That footage appeared on ESPN and quickly went viral. Consequently, European basketball made a big breakthrough in the American market, and Carroll believes that this trend will continue to grow.
“Oh, absolutely. You have guys in the NBA talking about their experiences in Europe. For example, when they ask Nikola Jokic how he’ll handle the pressure of a game, he responds, ‘Hey, I played in Serbia, brother.’ Those kinds of things make American fans wonder what he’s talking about. Then they show them footage of games from Partizan, Crvena Zvezda, and then they’re like, ‘Oh my Gosh!’
They also show them footage of Boban Marjanovic when he was with Crvena Zvezda. Doncic also said that it’s easier to score in the NBA than in Europe. People take notice of that, and it brings attention to the EuroLeague.”
Shooters and a small debate
If you’ve been watching the EuroLeague closely over the past 10-15 years, when you think of a three-point shooter, Jaycee Carroll comes to mind. We asked him who he thinks is currently the best shooter in Europe, which led to a small debate. At one point, our interviewee asked the author who, in his opinion, is the best shooter in the EuroLeague this season.
“Thank you for the compliment initially, very kind of you. I’ve worked hard to develop that skill to be considered one of the best shooters. As for the guys, I couldn’t pick one because I haven’t watched enough games this year. Who do you think is the best shooter currently?”
The author responded: Markus Howard, Mike James, Vanja Marinkovic as an underrated shooter.
“I’ve seen some things those guys have done. They are all great shooters. They don’t come off screens as much as I do. For example, three years ago, that list would have been: Kyle Kuric, Marcus Eriksson, and the Bertans brothers. Both are great shooters. If you go back a few more years, Juan Carlos Navarro was also a great shooter. A slightly different style again. Navarro had a bit more ball handling than me, but I came off screens well at full sprint.”