| Jaycee
Carroll breaks scoring record in USU's ninth straight
win
REWRITING HISTORY:
Jaycee Carroll launches the shot that breaks the USU
career scoring record. The crowd erupted in applause
after the shot bounced around on the rim and fell through
the net. / Photo by Seili Lewis
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By C. Jake Williams
January 20, 2008 | Jaycee Carroll became Utah
State's all-time leading scorer after hitting
a three-pointer with 13:35 left in the first half
against Idaho on Saturday night at the Smith Spectrum.
Carroll finished with 21 points the game and 2,147
in his career, topping Greg Grant's total of 2,127.
The Chase
Carroll began his collegiate career in 2004-05.
The Wyoming native averaged 14.7 points and 30.4
minutes per game while shooting 52.3 percent from
the field and 73.8 percent from the free-throw
line during his freshman season. Except for a
drop in field goal percentage his second season,
the 6-2 guard has improved in each area in each
subsequent year. Entering Saturday's game against
Idaho, Carroll was averaging 21.6 points per contest
while shooting 53.3 percent from the field and
93.4 percent from the line during his senior campaign.
Carroll needed 31 points to break the record
Thursday against Boise State but finished with
29, setting up the weekend's anticipated passing-of-the-torch
before a sold-out Spectrum crowd.
Carroll missed his first two shot attempts during
the second minute of action Saturday. Carroll
rebounded a Gary Wilkinson missed layup after
the ball was tipped around, but Idaho's Clyde
Johnson blocked his shot from two feet out. Wilkinson
gathered the loose ball and seconds later Carroll
raised up from 15 feet. The ball bounced off the
front of the rim, landing in the hands of Idaho
forward Jordan Brooks.
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BEFORE
AND AFTER: Above, Jaycee Carroll sets up
for his record-setting shot off a screen. Below,
Carroll exults in his moment. / Photos by
Seili Lewis.
|
The Shot
Idaho took a lead of 17-13 on Michael Crowell's long
trey with 13:54 left in the first half. Stephen DuCharme
inbounded the ball to point guard Kris Clark before
racing down the right seam ahead of Clark. DuCharme
received the ball on the left side of the court.
Carroll was set up on the left side, 15 feet from the
basket while Tai Wesley and Tyler Newbold waited on
the right. Newbold flashed to DuCharme's left shoulder
and took the handoff toward midcourt while Carroll set
a faux screen for Wesley under the basket. Carroll received
a screen from DuCharme nine feet from the basket. Idaho
guard Mike Hall was delayed an instant as Carroll rushed
to his favorite spot on the court: the three-point line,
free throw extended.
Newbold delivered a chest pass as Hall rushed within
inches of Carroll, who received the ball with both hands
out and only his right foot on the court. Hall was in
Carroll's grill as he squared his shoulders and planted
his left foot, then both feet for a trey try.
Hall was too close to Carroll to risk fouling him
by leaving the ground, instead leaning back and raising
his left arm as Carroll spread his fingers, straightened
his elbow, and snapped his wrist for the record books.
Wesley boxed out his man while two Idaho defenders
sandwiched DuCharme before the ball hit the left side
of the rim, bouncing three feet up and into the backboard.
After bouncing off the backboard the ball rested on
the front of the rim, taunting the sell-out crowd before
finally finding its way inside the cylinder.
The three points were numbers 2,127, 2,128 and 2,129
of Carroll's career and secured his place alone atop
Utah State's career scoring list.
"He's the best scorer I've ever had," said USU coach
Stew Morrill. "He makes volumes of shots."
The Game
The game between Utah State and Idaho completely changed
when Carroll's record-breaking trey fell through the
net. Idaho led 17-13 before the historic play but Carroll's
three pointer -- along with a déjà vu trey on USU's
next possession -- started a 19-6 run to give the Aggies
a 32-23 lead.
The first half ended with USU leading 45-33, and Idaho
only cut the lead to single digits once the rest of
the way. Michael Crowell's layup with 12:20 remaining
made the score 59-50 before Utah State prevailed 79-64.
"Obviously we had some extra motivation with Jaycee's
thing," said Morrill.
After receiving the game ball and being congratulated
by Greg Grant, Carroll was carried around the court
on Wesley and Wilkinson's shoulders.
Wilkinson finished with 15 points and a game-high
13 rebounds for the only double-double of the night.
Wesley scored a game-high 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting
from the field and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Six
of Wesley's 23 points came on long jumpers, which is
uncharacteristic for the dominant inside man.
"They don't like to guard me out there," said Wesley.
"Luckily tonight a couple of [my shots] fell."
Four Vandals scored in double digits, led by Clyde
Johnson's 15. Johnson hit a pair of threes to start
the game and another to start the second half for Idaho.
USU shot 60.4 percent from the field en route to its
ninth consecutive victory. The Aggies are now 14-5 on
the season and 4-0 in the WAC. The Aggies are hitting
the road for games at Louisiana Tech on Thursday and
New Mexico State Saturday. USU handed NMSU its only
conference loss last week in the Spectrum 74-62.
Notes
Carroll hasn't decided yet where to display the game
ball but said after the game, "I have a desk. It's going
to the desk for now and then we'll see."
Gary Wilkinson reported it was point guard Kris Clark's
idea to carry Carroll around the court after the game.
Carroll stated he is "a little shy when it comes to
public things like that."
Tai Wesley imitated reporters during Gary Wilkinson's
interview after the game, holding a Powerade bottle
out like a tape recorder. Wesley asked "How privileged
do you feel playing with Tai Wesley?"
Wilkinson's response included "I haven't fouled out
yet." Wesley is averaging 3.56 fouls per game during
the nine-game winning streak, including two disqualifications.
Stew Morrill is apparently not sad that players failed
to carry him around the court after
his own record-setting night Thursday. "You know
the guys who carried me at the Big West tournament that
first year we won it never surfaced again," said Morrill.
"Those poor guys, I think they were in wheelchairs the
rest of their lives."
Four front-row student-section fans dressed up for
their own Stew Morrill Look-Alike Contest. The quartet
donned suits and gray hair. "You know as you get older
that you gain weight, you get gray hair, but I'm not
that bad," said Morrill.
Tyler Newbold started the second half by hammering
home an alley-oop dunk. It was the second straight game
with an alley-oop dunk for the 6-foot-4 guard from Payson.
He is averaging 3.0 points per game.
Halftime entertainment was provided by a group of
jumpropers. The crowd was delighted by speed jumping,
turns and flips for several minutes.
Idaho forward Luis Augusto airballed the first of
two free throw attempts 88 seconds before halftime.
The delighted Spectrum crowd responded with the standard
"Air-ball, Air-ball" chant.
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