Jaycee Carroll, 2002 EHS graduate, has joined the NBA's New Jersey Nets as a free agent. Jaycee (20), a former Utah State standout, is shown in action against Fresno State in Logan, Utah, last March. Carroll is pictured with his father, Jerry, his mother, Donna, and his sister, Courtney, during Senior Night festivites at Utah State last March. Jaycee and his wife, Baillie, a former USU cheerleader, are introduced to the crowd in Logan at Senior Night.

Jaycee Carroll has been waiting for most of his young life to fulfill a dream of playing professional basketball.

Carroll waited through last Thursday night’s 2008 NBA draft, waiting for his name to be called among the 60 selections. When that didn’t happen, Jaycee waited a few more days over the weekend, waiting to see if his NBA dreams might come true.

Now it appears that his wait is over.

After mulling over several free agent offers, the former Evanston High School standout athlete has agreed to join the New Jersey Nets.

Carroll was scheduled to fly to New Jersey Tuesday, July 1. Jaycee plans to play for the Nets in NBA Summer League games at Orlando, Fla. next week.

Jaycee is the son of Jerry and Donna Carroll of Evanston. The 2002 EHS graduate ended a stellar college basketball career this past winter as Utah State’s all-time leading scorer. Carroll was one of the top shooters in the NCAA Division I national ranks last season in his final season at the Logan, Utah, campus.

Carroll, a 6-2 guard, went un-drafted in last week’s annual two-round NBA selection of college talent. Jaycee spent this last weekend in Evanston as his agent, Brad Ames of Chicago, worked on getting his client an NBA free agent deal.

Jaycee said three NBA teams – the Nets, Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors - all tendered offers. Carroll said he decided on New Jersey late Sunday evening, June 29. He and his wife, Baillie, traveled to Tremonton, Utah, to spend Monday with her parents before Jaycee leaves for the East Coast today.

“We spent two or three days talking, negotiating, who is making the best offer,” Jaycee said in a telephone interview from Tremonton. “More importantly, which situation was the best for us, and would provide the best opportunity for me to become a player, a full-time member of that team.”

Hectic June tryout schedule

New Jersey was one of 11 stops for Carroll in a whirlwind, 18-day cross-country tryout trek from June 6 up to last Thursday’s NBA Draft. He visited Chicago, Detroit, Portland, Sacramento, Los Angeles (Clippers), New Jersey, Charlotte, Toronto and Milwaukee, with a trip to Utah to workout for the Jazz.

Jaycee said Nets’ head coach Lawrence Frank was impressed with Carroll's workout with the team.

Carroll has not signed a contract with the Nets. He will practice with the team this week in preparation for next week’s NBA Summer League action in Orlando. His plan is to impress the New Jersey brass with hopes of gaining a guaranteed contract offer.

“I’m trying to get a guaranteed contract, that would be a full-year contract,” Jaycee said.

Carroll said he could also opt to sign a guaranteed contract with another NBA team – if he can play well in the summer league and make an impression, if the Nets pass, and another team tenders an offer.

Carroll said the Nets will pay him a daily per-diem while he works toward earning that possible guaranteed deal.

New Jersey officials told Jaycee that the team feels he can bring a strong jump shot and toughness to the NBA squad.

“We’re going there with that mentality, and we’ll see what happens,” he said.

Carroll said the Nets are also scheduled to participate in the 2008 Utah Jazz Rocky Mountain Review, the annual NBA summer league action in Salt Lake City later this month.