Jordan Caroline makes smooth transition to college
01/11/2015 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
By Tom Weber
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois freshman forward Jordan Caroline has made the transition to college basketball look easy. Through 17 games, he's averaging better than nine points per contest and is the top offensive rebounder in the Missouri Valley Conference with nearly three per game.
His smooth adjustment is likely due to the caliber of competition he played with and against at Montverde Academy the last two years. His high school finished No. 1 in the nation in both 2013 and 2014, and his team featured a Who's Who of college prospects. Among his teammates last year were Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell, who leads the No. 20-ranked Buckeyes in scoring this year with 18.3 points per game, and forward Ben Simmons, an LSU signee who is widely regarded as the best high school player in the country.
Caroline, who is the son of former Illini and NFL linebacker Simeon Rice, grew up in Champaign, Ill. and attended Central High School through his sophomore season. The 6-foot-7 forward then reached out to Montverde head coach Kevin Boyle to see if there was a mutual interest in him transferring to the Florida prep school. There was.
"I wanted to play with more-experienced players and play for a coach who has gotten players to the pros," said Caroline, who noted that more than 60 players have moved on to the college ranks from Montverde in the last 10 years.
He played a supporting role on the team as a junior, but earned a starting berth his senior year and averaged 12 points and eight rebounds. Montverde travelled the country playing many of the nation's top high school programs, and everywhere they went, the players were treated like celebrities.
"When we'd get there, we were like superstars and everyone would want autographs," Caroline said. "It was crazy. Everyone was always expecting us to win and the other team always had nothing to lose -- they were always underdogs against us."
After his junior year, Caroline had offers from Louisiana Tech, Florida Atlantic, Mount Saint Mary's and SIU. He committed to Mount Saint Mary's, but changed his mind and signed with Southern Illinois.
"Carbondale was only three hours from Champaign, and I liked the coaching staff," he explained.
Caroline said his mom comes to almost every home game and his dad caught the Austin Peay contest, in which he scored a then-career-high 13 points. He has since surpassed that mark with a 16-point, 13-rebound effort versus Murray State.
Of SIU's four freshmen who are playing this year, Caroline has made the biggest impact, by far. He's shooting 48 percent from the field, and 75 percent from the free throw line, where he's already made 75 trips. Fans enjoy his explosive leaping ability, as Caroline has recorded almost all of the team's dunks this year.
"I definitely felt like Montverde prepared me for the college level and I felt comfortable at this level right away," he said. "It's always been one of my strengths to attack the glass hard offensively. I still have to trust my game more. Confidence is definitely an issue. I want to become a lock-down defender and be a great player on both sides of the court."
Caroline said he never saw his dad play football in person but remembers being "super excited" to watch him on TV win a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay in 2003. Jordan was seven at the time. He also admits that he dreams of someday playing in the National Football League and envisions himself as an Antonio Gates-type tight end. Gates was a successful basketball player at Kent State before becoming an All-Pro in the NFL.
"I'm actually better at football than basketball," Caroline said. "But I like basketball more."
Caroline, who turns 19 this week, said he appreciates the history of college basketball at SIU and hopes to restore the program's winning ways before embarking on a pro career.
"When I was younger I watched Randal Falker and Jamaal Tatum," he said. "It would be great to get Saluki Basketball back to that level."
