Former Utah State shooting guard Jaycee Carroll stood outside the locker room at Salt Lake Community College, trying to take it all in. His days at the Rocky Mountain Revue were done, but he hoped his days as an NBA point guard were just beginning.

Carroll had just finished playing a substantial number of minutes with the New Jersey Nets summer league team at the Revue, and was looking forward to some R&R. A trip home to Wyoming, a pickup game with friends and a tee time with his father were the only things he had to look forward to.

Oh, and the possibility of playing NBA basketball next year.

"Right now, I'm just waiting to see if they [the Nets] tell me to go to training camp, or tell me, 'here's a contract,' or whether they don't want me," Carroll said after New Jersey's 81-66 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the final game at the Revue. "I've been running around like crazy, playing a lot of basketball. But after a few days of rest, we'll get back to work and see what's next."

Before the Revue, the ex-Aggie looked to find a slot on the New Jersey roster next season. At the Orlando Summer League, he helped the team to a 4-1 record, while scoring in double figures in four games. Additionally, Carroll started two of those games, and came in third in points per game with 13.6, trailing only first-round draft pick Brook Lopez (19.6 PPG) and second-round pick Chris Douglas-Roberts (14.0).

Carroll also shot 47.9 percent from the field and was 20-for-25 from the free-throw line.

But some wonder if those stats will be enough to land a contract. Carroll, who graduated from USU last spring with a degree in Spanish teaching, was also the 2008 Western Athletic Conference Play of the Year, after he averaged 22.4 points and six rebounds per game.

Unfortunately, all of those points came at shooting guard, a position he grew accustomed to through four years on the Aggie starting line. But New Jersey needed a point guard.

Was Carroll up to the challenge? His experience in Orlando, Las Vegas and Salt Lake has pointed to a quick adjustment.

"I've really enjoyed playing point guard," Carroll said. "The more I play it, the more comfortable I've gotten with it, and with the team. Plus, knowing exactly what the coaches want out of me makes it so much easier."

In the Nets' 108-84 loss to an athletic Golden State squad, the former Utah State guard didn't adjust well to his new role. Carroll ended the night with only two points and three assists. Worse yet, he only played 19 minutes.

His luck changed the next day when the Nets traded point guard Marcus Williams to the Warriors, and Carroll saw his chances of making the team increase. The Nets need a backup point guard behind presumed starter Devin Harris. The spot currently belongs to former Orlando Magic guard Keyon Dooling, but Carroll has been turning the coaches' heads.

"He [Carroll] has done a good job offensively of running the team," Nets assistant coach Brian Hill said after Tuesday's loss to Utah. "Sometimes he still has that scorer-first mentality, but he has done a good job of running the team. He's getting better with it and more comfortable in each game."

The trade also opened up more minutes for Carroll.

"After we had the trade go down, we needed another point guard," Carroll said. "The other point guard sprained his ankle, so that left a lot of time for me to play in Utah. Before, I wasn't sure I would get it, and I didn't think I would play much. But it worked out great."

In his next game at the point, Carroll came away with a team-leading 22 points and two assists. Even better, those points came in front of a decidedly pro-USU crowd, even though most were pulling for Utah.

But they also came with a price.

"I was looking for more shots against the Jazz," Carroll said, reflecting on the game. "But when I talked to the coaches, they said, 'you probably won't get 17 shots in the NBA.' So I took that as a challenge to improve my assists-to-turnover ratio and I did it."

In Thursday's game against Dallas, Carroll's hot shooting game cooled off as he attempted only 11 shots from inside the arc and sank four. He also dished out five assists, mostly to Lopez and second-round draft pick Ryan Anderson. Those passes would come in handy for Lopez, who ended the night with 12 points in less than 30 minutes of action, rebounding from a four point game against Utah.

After two summer league series with the Nets (Orlando and Salt Lake), and one series with the Toronto Raptors (in Las Vegas), Carroll likes his chances of a professional career. But which team is still a mystery.

"The last thing I heard was they [the Nets] still had all 15 spots filled," Carroll said. "Who knows what they have planned; whatever it is, it will be the best for the organization."

However, Carroll wouldn't mind finding a home in New Jersey.

"It really helps when you get along with your possible teammates on the roster," Carroll said about his chances of playing for the Nets. "I have really enjoyed playing with these guys, and some small friendships began to form. If I don't have a chance with them, I'll definitely miss some of the guys."

And so the wait begins. If Carroll doesn't pick up a contract in the NBA this year, he says his chances in Europe still remain open. Many former college greats have found good homes in European leagues. But that's far from Carroll's ideal position.

And the clock keeps ticking.

"I'm willing to go to Europe, but I definitely want to stay here," Carroll said. "That's my goal, my dream: to find a place here in the NBA and make that my choice. That has been my dream since I was 10 years old. If I wasn't playing here [at the Revue], then I'd probably be playing at home with my friends. I might as well play in this league where I at least get an opportunity to make a career out of it."

Copyright Brigham Young University 28 Jul 2008