LOGAN, Utah ? Utah State's Jaycee Carroll announced on Monday he will declare as an underclassman for eligibility in the 2007 National Basketball Association draft selection process.
Carroll, a 6-2 junior guard from Evanston, Wyo., finished the 2006-07 season first in the Western Athletic Conference and 10th in the nation in scoring with 21.3 points per game as he earned Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America honors along with being named first-team all-WAC. Carroll also led the WAC and finished 12th in the nation in free throw shooting at 88.8 percent, was first in the conference in three-point shooting (.432), fifth in overall shooting (.527), and 12th in rebounding (6.3).
"It has always been a dream of mine to play in the NBA and I owe it to myself and my family to do whatever I can to make that dream come true," said Carroll. "I think it is important for the development of my game to see how I compare against the best collegiate basketball players in the country."
Carroll will not hire an agent which means he can withdraw from the draft by June 18 and retain his intercollegiate eligibility. If Carroll does return to Utah State he will be one of three starters returning from USU's National Invitation Tournament team that went 23-12 during the 2006-07 season.
"Our coaching staff understands and supports Jaycee on his decision to explore the NBA," said veteran Utah State head coach Stew Morrill. "It has become fairly common for underclassmen who have had great seasons to test the waters and find out information regarding their status with the NBA. Jaycee understands unless he is guaranteed to be a first-round pick that the wise decision would be to come back to school."
The first time underclassmen can have contact with NBA teams is at the Pre-Draft Camp on May 29 through June 4 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. After that date, underclassmen can work out for teams at their own expense in order to maintain their collegiate eligibility.
The time-line for early-entry into the NBA Draft is as follows:
April 29 - Deadline for early-entry application into NBA Draft
May 1-15 - Invitations issued for NBA Pre-Draft camp
May 29-June 4 - Pre-Draft Camp in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
June 5 - First date NBA teams can attend and host workouts involving draft eligible players
June 18 - Early-entry withdrawal deadline by 3 p.m. (MT)
June 28 - NBA Draft in New York City