Oct. 10, 2007

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - Utah State senior guard Jaycee Carroll was named the Western Athletic Conference's preseason Player of the Year by both the coaches and the media at the annual WAC Basketball Media Day here on Wednesday, while USU is tabbed to finish first in the WAC according to the league's coaches and second according to the media.

Carroll is the first player in Utah State's short three-year history in the Western Athletic Conference to garner preseason Player of the Year honors.

"It's flattering and exciting to hear the expectations of what you might be able to accomplish," said Carroll of the honor.

Carroll, a 6-2 guard from Evanston, Wyo., is returning to Utah State for his senior season after earning first-team all-WAC and Associated Press honorable mention All-America honors last season as he finished first in the WAC and 10th in the nation in scoring with 21.3 points per game and first in the WAC and 12th in the nation in free throw shooting at 88.8 percent. Carroll also led the league in three-point shooting (.432), was fifth in overall shooting (52.7) and 12th in rebounding (6.3).

Entering the 2007-08 season, Carroll ranks first in the nation among active Division I players in career three-point shooting at 45.2 percent (255-564), is second among active players in total points scored with 1,737, is third in career scoring average at 17.5 points per game and seventh in both three-pointers made (255) and free throw percentage (.834).

Carroll also enters his senior season in seventh-place on Utah State's all-time scoring list and is just 391 points shy of breaking Greg Grant's (1983-86) all-time scoring record of 2,127 points. During the 2006-07 season, Carroll scored 746 points to rank second all-time at USU for a single-season and eighth all-time in the 45-year history of the WAC.

Carroll is one three starters returning for Utah State this year, along with seniors Kris Clark and Stephen DuCharme, from last year's 23-12 team that advanced to the championship game of the 2007 WAC Tournament and played at Michigan in the National Invitation Tournament.