Coach Carroll: New chapter

From being Wyoming’s Gatorade Player of the Year to becoming Utah State’s all-time leading scorer and enjoying a 13-year professional career overseas, Jaycee Carroll has had one of the most accomplished basketball careers in USU history.

After spending most of his adult life playing basketball in Italy and Spain, Carroll has recently returned to Cache Valley, a place he and his family always considered home.

“We always kept a base camp here,” Carroll said. “We’d come back in the summers, and it’s easy to fall in love with Cache Valley. Winter can leave a little something to be desired, but if you play basketball, it’s an indoor sport during the winter. It keeps you busy.”

Though his playing career is behind him, Carroll stays involved in basketball through various avenues. He frequently connects with former college and professional teammates, attends games at the Spectrum and interviews USU basketball players and coaches on his podcast “Unequaled.”

Carroll also serves as head coach of the Mountain Crest High School girls’ basketball team, where his daughter Bella led the team in scoring last season.

Carroll sat down with The Utah Statesman to discuss his basketball resume and his current role as a coach and mentor.

Aggies Going Pro

Carroll’s years at Utah State from 2004–08 contributed to the program’s growing national recognition. Under head coach Stew Morrill, Carroll set records and led the Aggies to multiple NCAA tournament appearances.

At the time, USU had seen several basketball players go pro, but it wasn’t until Carroll’s era it became a consistent trend.

“Utah State is a basketball school,” Carroll said. “If you want to come to a place for an unbelievable college basketball atmosphere — an opportunity to win a bunch of games and going to play professionally — Utah State has really become that.”

Carroll credits the overseas success of players from his era for demonstrating Utah State athletes could pursue professional basketball careers. His teammates Spencer Nelson, Gary Wilkinson and Tai Wesley each had years of success playing in top leagues around the world.

Carroll acknowledged Desmond Penigar and Curtis Bobb as two Aggies who had professional careers before his arrival on campus, but his time in the EuroLeague further cemented the potential pathways for Aggies in professional basketball.

“Spencer Nelson went and had a successful European career, and I was able to add to that,” Carroll said. “We’re going to NBA camps, and we’re getting on the scene, and we’re getting high-profile agents to come and look at us. I think it really opened the doors for us.”

Utah State has recently seen an increase in players going on to secure NBA contracts.

“I think the success I was able to have overseas got a lot of these Utah State players going, ‘Hey, there’s a future after Utah State if I want it,’” Carroll said. “You get a couple guys who go have success, [and] people start looking this way.”

The European Experience

During his time in the EuroLeague, Carroll played alongside NBA-level talent and stayed connected with some of the best players in the world.

Carroll played five-time NBA All-Star Luka Dončić at Real Madrid. He first met Dončić when the latter was a 13-year-old prospect and watched him develop from bench warmer to a top superstar in Europe.

“At that time, he was a little starstruck by me,” Carroll said. “We had just won some titles, and they were like, ‘Hey this is Luka Dončić. We think he’s gonna be pretty good.’ I got to see that progression from sitting on the end of the bench to being EuroLeague champion and EuroLeague MVP.”

Now in his seventh NBA season, Dončić joins LeBron James as the only two players in NBA history to average at least 27 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists for their careers.

Carroll and Dončić have maintained their friendship, even after Dončić’s transition to the NBA. When Dončić’s Los Angeles Lakers played the Utah Jazz in February, he provided tickets for Carroll and his family.

“He would always come back to Spain and watch games when the NBA season was over — come to the locker room — hang out with us,” Carroll said.

Another notable teammate was Rudy Fernández, who found success in both the NBA and EuroLeague. Fernández played four years in the NBA and spent 19 years in the EuroLeague.

Carroll regarded Fernández and Dončić as two of the most talented players he’s ever played with.

“[Fernández] was so naturally talented,” Carroll said. “I had to work my butt off to get what I got. I’m not saying Rudy didn’t, but he was so naturally gifted that it just came easy to him.”

He also considers Fernández one of his favorite past teammates.

“He was very self aware,” Carroll said. “We’d be sitting in timeouts, and coach would draw a play for him, and he’d go, ‘No, no, Jaycee is hot. Run it for Jaycee,’ and he’d throw me the ball.’”  

Utah State’s Mounting Expectations 

Utah State’s national profile has grown in recent years, accompanied by increasing expectations from fans. The expectation to win is something Carroll experienced during his time as an Aggie, but the evolution of media and the growing influence of money in college basketball has amplified the pressures from fans.  

“The success we’re having now — it’s really not that much different,” Carroll said. “I remember coach Morrill always talking about fans. He’s like, ‘Man, we win 25 games now, and no one cares.’ So, this stuff isn’t new. Social media hypes it all up. It makes it seem a lot bigger.”  

The team’s national attention will continue to rise as they transition to the PAC-12 in 2026, a conference home to top basketball programs like Gonzaga and Oregon State.  

In terms of taking the next step as a program, Carroll hopes to see investment in both financial resources and continuity in leadership roles. Currently, head coach Jerrod Calhoun is tasked with leading the charge in that investment, and he has quickly gained the trust of those around him.  

“I’ve been thoroughly impressed with [Calhoun],” Carroll said. “I think he’s got the right energy. The players like him. If he stays here for a few years and we figure out some good NIL-type stuff — collective stuff — this is a place that can definitely be a Gonzaga on the national stage where we do Sweet Sixteen runs and stuff like that. I’d love to see it.”  

Coach Carroll 

Entering a new phase of his basketball career, Carroll became head coach of the MCHS girls’ basketball team. He took pride in playing the game fearlessly on the biggest stages, but he admitted coaching presents new challenges. 

“I spent 17 years post-high school doing basketball almost every single day of the week, and I was very nervous to be a head basketball coach,” Carroll said. “It was weird. I knew I had the knowledge, I had the stuff, but it was intimidating to move to the other side.” 

After completing his second year as coach, Carroll has seen steady improvement from his team. He increased their win total by three from year one to year two, and the Mustangs reached the quarterfinals in the 2025 4A State Championship. 

“This year was a lot different,” Carroll said. “The girls knew what to expect. I knew what I wanted, and we just flourished. Little by little, we’re having a little bit more success, winning more games and getting better at basketball. So I really, really enjoy the coaching side.” 

His daughter Bella has already made an impact on the team. In only her sophomore year, she led the Mustangs with averages of 11.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.4 steals per game. 

“That girl puts in time. She puts in effort, and she was awesome,” Carroll said. “I admire how much she works outside of practice. She had some unbelievable success this year, which I was really happy to see.”  

Basketball is more than just a hobby for Bella, according to Carroll. Following in her father’s footsteps, she hopes to one day play college basketball, and he shares that hope for her. 

“Selfishly, I’d love to see her play at Utah State,” Carroll said. “I am right here close by. I can go to all the games. I think Utah State’s a great university, but that girl’s highly intelligent, and she’s very self-driven and works hard, so she’s mentioned things about maybe wanting to go to an Ivy League school.” 

A New Chapter in Cache Valley 

Though he spent most of his childhood in Wyoming and much of his adulthood in Italy and Spain, Carroll looks forward to spending the coming years in the Valley. Whether mentoring current Aggie players, coaching high school basketball or enjoying life in Logan, he said he is focused on giving back. 

“This place has given me so much,” Carroll said. “Now, I just want to give back and help the next generation find their own success — on and off the court.”