Caroline to Bring Energy

Written for nbl.com.au by Tom Hersz

Destiny is a funny thing. There can be all the signs in the world that something is destined to happen, but it doesn’t always work like that.

Jordan Caroline is Exhibit A.

The new Melbourne United import forward, who will arrive in the country on Monday, was seemingly destined to be an NFL player. His father, Simeon Rice, had a phenomenal NFL career as a defensive end. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection, made numerous All-Pro teams and was a Super Bowl Champion with Tampa Bay in 2002. Rice left the NFL as one of the most prolific pass rushers the game had seen to that point.

Caroline’s maternal grandfather, J.C. Caroline, also played in the NFL, having a ten-year career with the Chicago Bears as a defensive back and winning NFL Rooke of the Year honours in 1956.

If you look at Caroline’s physique, all 6-foot-7 and 235 pounds (107 kilograms) of him, you’d be stunned to find out he’s not a football player. In fact, despite seeming destined for it, it’s not something he ever wanted to pursue.

“Honestly, I just never liked playing football growing up,” Caroline explained to NBL Media on Tuesday. 

“It was always basketball and baseball. So, I never really was a big football player growing up like that. I played everything but I never really liked playing [football].”

Caroline instead gravitated towards basketball. He was also into swimming, but the more he got exposed to basketball, the more it became all he wanted to watch, all he wanted to play, all he wanted to be around.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">History for Sweet Caroline!<br><br>He passes Kawhi Leonard and Andrew Bogut for the most double-doubles in <a href="https://twitter.com/MountainWest?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MountainWest</a> history!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BattleBorn?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BattleBorn</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheHunt?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheHunt</a> <a href="https://t.co/2EUgJRlmTO">pic.twitter.com/2EUgJRlmTO</a></p>&mdash; Nevada Basketball (@NevadaHoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/NevadaHoops/status/1093368597907263488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Growing up, he would watch a lot of basketball on TV.

“I used to watch all the NBA Hardwood Classics that would come on TV and I fell in love with the game that way,” Caroline said.

“With like Larry Johnson and Andrei Kirilenko and Danny Granger. Players like that were my favourites growing up, so that’s kind of what just grew my love for the game. And then college basketball too when I was younger. I used to watch every college basketball game.”

Caroline’s mother, Jayna Caroline, was also an athlete, having run track, so he had great athletic genes on both sides. 

Caroline was raised by his mother, so was not around his father when Rice was playing in the NFL. However, he looked at what his parents and his grandfather had achieved and used that as inspiration to help himself believe that becoming a professional athlete someday was a realistic goal.

“When I was growing up, I didn’t grow up with my Dad, but still seeing his success, it made it seem like it was very achievable,” Caroline explained. 

“It didn’t seem like the dream of being a professional athlete was so far away. And then same with having my Mum there. She has been an athlete, so having her support helped a lot. And then my Grandpa, her Dad, who played NFL, it just made it seem like as long as you put the work in, the time and had the belief, it made it seem like a very possible thing to achieve.”

Caroline and Rice reconnected when Jordan was in High School and the two now speak regularly. Obviously having someone who has been through a pro career to talk to can only help and Caroline certainly utilises that, bouncing ideas off of Rice and also getting his feedback about what he thinks about certain situations. 

That has definitely helped Caroline as he’s pursued his own pro career in basketball.

Caroline had success both in High School and in College, before turning pro. In High School, he moved from his hometown of Champaign, Illinois to join powerhouse Montverde Academy in Florida for his junior and senior seasons.

There, he teamed with D’Angelo Russell and Ben Simmons on their way to back-to-back national titles. Caroline hasn’t really spoken with Simmons since those days, but certainly has fond memories of playing with the Melbourne native.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jordan Caroline does it all himself to get Trento as close as it&#39;s been all game!<a href="https://twitter.com/AquilaBasketTN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AquilaBasketTN</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSMagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSMagicMoment</a> <a href="https://t.co/lgIKRUDx07">pic.twitter.com/lgIKRUDx07</a></p>&mdash; 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1453433309778825217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


“Playing with Ben was great,” he declared. 

“He was the best passer still to this day that I ever played with, even at a high school level. So, it was a great thing with me and him. We won a national championship together, it was all great. 

“(He was) one of the best players I ever played with overall. It was a great experience.” 

In College, Caroline played his last three seasons at Nevada, where he dominated the Mountain West Conference. Along the way, he broke the Mountain West record for most double-doubles in a career; a record previously held by another Melbourne native in Andrew Bogut.

From Nevada, Caroline has made stops in the G League, Israel, Taiwan and most recently Italy. Each of those experiences, playing in different environments, different styles, with different expectations, taught him a lot.

“The biggest thing I learned, even though the styles are different, the preparation still needs to be the same to be able to outwork everybody on and off the floor,” Caroline said. 

“But also, as a pro just being ready for everything that’s thrown at you. For example, being in Taiwan I was expected to carry the team the whole time, so I had to be ready for that and that was something different. 

“Being in Israel, I was asked to come off the bench, so that was something different too and I had to be ready for that. 

“And then playing in EuroCup this year, a high-level competition that they take super serious, so knowing that, you had to be on your Ps and Qs at all times. So just trying to be a professional. Each stop I’ve learned something new that’s helped me go for it.”

But it’s that preparation and desire to outwork everybody else that has defined the sort of player that Caroline has become. He puts a lot of time into working on his body, his strength, his agility and his skills.

And while he’s built like an NFL defensive end, which may instantly draw some comparisons to former Sydney King, now Houston Rocket, Jae’Sean Tate, Caroline’s physique and build are deliberate. He uses that as an asset to help him impact games.

“Just bringing physicality each and every night. That’s the biggest thing because a lot of people don’t want to deal with physicality for a full 40 minutes,” he explained. 

“So, I think that’s where I can wear a lot of people down just with that. But, also my intensity because from start to finish I’m going to play as hard as I can. 

“My thing is to always be the hardest working player on the floor at all times. It always makes me push myself harder too when there are harder playing people around me or against me because then I know I’ve got to go that much harder, so I think that’s the two biggest ways I can affect a game; with my physicality and energy.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;A BEAST&quot;<br><br>&quot;I&#39;ve seen teams wave the white flag in second halves because they&#39;re tired of dealing with his physicality&quot; <br><br>Jordan Caroline is gonna be a handful for opposition squads in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> with <a href="https://twitter.com/MelbUnited?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MelbUnited</a> <a href="https://t.co/q7r7w2ocb7">pic.twitter.com/q7r7w2ocb7</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1555088640682115072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Another way Caroline impacts games is by stretching the floor. In College, he hit close to 35 per cent from long range across his four seasons. As a senior, Caroline made 46 threes in 33 games at a 36.8 per cent clip.

In his lone G-League season, Caroline was even better shooting it at 42 per cent from downtown, although he did struggle a little last season in Italy. Still, it’s the difference between him being a good player and a great player. It’s his swing skill if you will.

“Yeah, I would say that’s my x-factor in a sense,” he agreed. 

“Although I didn’t shoot it great last year, I know that I’m a capable three-point shooter and that allows me to really play inside and out effectively when the touch on the three-ball’s going well. Because then I can get to the rim and also can create for others, so I would say the three really opens up everything for me.”

Having the ability to step out and make opposing defences close out is a key in Dean Vickerman’s offence. He likes his team to play five out at times and that relies on every player being capable from the perimeter.

Alongside Isaac Humphries, who can also get out to three-point range, that will allow that frontcourt duo to complement each other and also take pressure off each other.

Caroline was signed somewhat late for an import, but that was deliberate given United’s roster uncertainty. Jack White was always a chance to land an NBA deal, but until that was done, United couldn’t commit to filling one of their import slots.

But make no mistake, Caroline was brought in to replace what Melbourne has lost in White and that's something he's spoken about with his new coach. 

“We had conversations about how he (Vickerman) wants to play me, especially with the departure of Jack White, which are some big shoes to fill,” Caroline said. 

“He (White) was a great two-way player for them. So, just knowing that I need to be a defensive anchor and also rebound at a high level, but also do other things. 

“They’re big shoes to fill but it’s something I’m happy for and something I’m excited for. I’m just really excited to get out there and just get to work.”

Before he was approached by Vickerman and Melbourne though, Caroline did have another invitation this off-season. When he returned to the United States from Italy a few months ago, he was invited to an NFL mini-camp.

Despite never enjoying playing football and never playing in College, his pedigree and body were something that intrigued at least one NFL team and Caroline was intrigued by the opportunity as well. Although he was more intrigued by what it could mean for his wallet.

“The NFL is great money,” he laughed.

“So I’m not a big fan of football playing, but for the right price, I’ll think about it!”

But Caroline conceded that it wasn’t for him. It wasn’t his destiny after all.

“Well, I never actually went to it,” he admitted. 

“But they reached out and asked if I was interested and I thought about it.”

That’s as far as it went though and Caroline then focused on finding the right situation to continue his pro basketball career. That led him to the NBL and Melbourne United.

And Caroline is very positive about the competition, what this league is about and why it’s a good fit for him to continue to develop his game and try to get to the next level.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Whilst playing in college, Caroline broke the record for the most double-doubles in a career previously held by Andrew Bogut ?<br><br>Here&#39;s a sneak peak at what United fans can expect from our third import. <a href="https://t.co/bET0TWnUQ2">pic.twitter.com/bET0TWnUQ2</a></p>&mdash; Melbourne United (@MelbUnited) <a href="https://twitter.com/MelbUnited/status/1555101238231908353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


“The biggest thing about the NBL is I’ve never heard anything bad about Australia, living-wise or playing-wise in the NBL,” he said. 

“So, just from [talking to] multiple people and hearing nothing negative, which is crazy, especially from players who are not from Australia originally and they still had nothing bad to say. 

“And then from watching NBL games myself last year and seeing the fanfare and everything that goes into it, it resembles a lot of the NBA. 

“And then also the play style is really close to the American style, if not the same, so I think that’s the biggest thing that really attracted me to the league.”

With the way he likes to play, Caroline is sure to attract fans to John Cain Arena to watch him in NBL23. He is the kind of player, like White, who is happy to do whatever his team needs on a particular night to help them win.

Whether that’s offensively, defensively or on the boards, Caroline will do the work and play hard at all times because he always wants to be the hardest working player on the floor. 

His message to Melbourne’s fans is simple.

“My message is just bringing energy and being the hardest playing player in the league and trying to be a part of something special.”

Perhaps his true destiny lies in helping Melbourne to another championship. We’ll find out soon enough.