Carroll discusses his jersey retirement, guarding Spanoulis and desire to play / News - Basketnews.com

Jaycee Carroll would like to have his No. 20 jersey retired by Real Madrid: "I would like that, but I think I would be on the waiting list behind Sergio Llull, Felipe Reyes, Rudy Fernandez, and Chacho."

Credit: ZUMAPRESS.com - Scanpix Credit ZUMAPRESS.com - Scanpix

Jaycee Carroll, a retired Madridista, who spent 10 seasons and played 709 games with a Real Madrid jersey hopes that Los Blancos will retire his No. 20 in the future.

Points this season

49%84,8Points made:84,8Accuracy:49,1%Place in standings:2Record max:105Record min:60Best scorer:Dzanan MusaTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Carroll has the most games on the team ever as a non-Spanish player.

The only two players that suited up more times for Real are Spanish basketball legends Felipe Reyes and Sergio Llull.

"I hope the club does it," he referred to the jersey retirement in an interview with Noelia Gomez Mira of Relevo. "There are other historic players, starting from the 70s. Now, there are Sergio Llull, Felipe Reyes, Rudy Fernandez, and Chacho [Sergio Rodriguez], who has returned to Madrid. I would like that [to have my jersey retired], but I think I would be on the waiting list behind these legends."

"It would be another reason to return to Spain," the 39-year-old added. "We have a nice tradition with jersey retirement here in the US, as was the case with Pau Gasol. Going to the gyms and seeing the jerseys of the great players retired is very emotional and impressive, something unique."

The American sharpshooter was flirting with the retirement idea for a long time so that now, he could dedicate his time to the family and ranch in Utah.

Carroll and his wife Baylee have another project -- raising Wagyu, a Japanese cattle breed.

Despite that, he sometimes misses professional sports.

"The last few days, I have been cleaning what my animals left, and in those moments, I think I could be playing. I miss playing games and my teammates a lot, but not so much traveling and training. I wish I could play the cup or the playoffs for 20 more years, but the rest -- hotels and traveling… That came to an end," Carroll confessed.

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When asked if defending Vassilis Spanoulis in the victorious 2015 EuroLeague final, is an easier task than dealing with Utah's snow and animals, his answer was not surprising either.

"Spanoulis! I had him more or less under control. Defending Spanoulis was a great challenge for anyone, especially, in a final. It was a huge challenge. The good thing is that I didn't have much opportunity to think about it because the decision was made before the game. At least in that match, it went very well for us," Carroll, who limited Spanoulis to three points in 31 minutes, admitted.

Jaycee Carroll is better known as an incredible shooter than a lock-down one-on-one defender.

He connected 437 from 1038 (42.1%) long-range shots during his EuroLeague career.

But as Carroll says, titles are more significant appreciation for the Royal club player.

"At Real Madrid, the most important thing was to win titles," he emphasized. "If you don't win trophies, people will forget you. With luck and hard work during these ten years that I was there, we won many of them."

Carroll has an incredible list of 20 titles won with Real, including 2 EuroLeague titles, 6 Copa del Rey trophies, and 5 Spanish ACB championships.

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