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“I keep dreaming of the last shot”

The former Real Madrid player, winner of two Euroleagues, analyzes the current state of the team and recalls his appearances in the Final Four and reviews his unique career. “Llull, Rudy, Chacho… nothing is impossible for them,” he says

On the other end of the phone, the foreigner who played the most games with the Real Madrid shirt, a shooter like never before, answers from his estate in Wellsville (Utah). “I am a farmer, a financial adviser and I coach my daughter’s team,” he says. Jaycee Carroll about his new and busy life. From nature and “working with animals” he does not lose sight or contact with his former colleagues, with whom the conversation always ends with “you know how this goes”. “I would give everything” to be at the Zalgirio Arena in Kaunas tonight, where the whites will look for another Euroleague final against Barça (8:00 p.m., DAZN).

You played your last game two years ago, what is a day in your life like now?
I wake up at six in the morning, go to the office and start reading or studying about any topic. Things of faith, something financial, basketball or the farm. Depending on the need of the week. Then I go to the farm and take care of the animals, that they have water and that everything is fine. I come home and start calling clients, until two or three in the afternoon. I pick up the children from school and in the afternoon, basketball training.
He also takes time to keep up to date with his Real Madrid.
What they did against Partizan was incredible, a complicated series, going to Serbia to win both games… Congratulations to the boys and Chus Mateo as a new coach.
He was the protagonist of a similar comeback, how do you explain the fifth game?
In those moments, you no longer have anything to lose. You can put your arms down and give up or you can get up and fight. The fundamental thing is trust. 18 down, with nothing to lose… You start to score baskets, defend, take risks… And the push from the fans is something overwhelming for the rival. All that mix is ​​amazing.
Do you miss those moments?
Yes, that cannot be found in a normal life. This feeling, that adrenaline, is unique. I miss him a lot.
How do you see the Final Four? In 2015 and 2018 they were not favorites either…
This year is similar. We were not favorites, we went to fight and to try to surprise people. Last year, they came and almost won. In 2018 we shouldn’t have been in the Final Four, we lost the first almost 30-point playoff game in Athens. Suddenly, there was a mental change and we no longer lost in the entire Euroleague. That push, that confidence from the fifth game against Partizan, is going to be key for the Final Four.
The veterans, Rudy, Llull and Sergio Rodríguez, continue to be key.
They are special, absolutely. I was lucky enough to play with these Spaniards from the golden age for 10 years. They know how to win. They have won it all. Sergi, Chacho, Rudy… each of them has the ability to overcome bad things and win. They have the confidence that nothing is impossible. It’s something you have inside, but you can also learn a little with experience. Because there is no situation that they have not experienced. They have been down, they have been the favourites…
What did you learn with them in that locker room?
I also had that, we knew how to win, we are winners. We knew when we had to sacrifice ourselves for the common good and when we had to assert ourselves. For example, in the 2015 final, when I took four shots in a row and scored 11 points in one minute. I knew it was my moment and they also sacrificed some of their shots to give me the ball. We also learned it day by day, training, studying ourselves, watching the videos of our rivals. And competing. The key is to trust your partner.

Carroll, at the tribute a few months ago at WiZink. ACB PHOTO

Do you think players like Musa y Hezonja Can they reach that status?
Musa and Hezonja have had a good season, scoring points, playing hard. I hope they are learning. I think they are also winners. But they lack the experience of playing finals, the experience of winning titles.
You know Chus Mateo well.
First, I am very grateful to Pablo Laso Because of what he did, I still see a lot of basketball in his future, I hope it could have been at Real Madrid. Regarding Chus Mateo, he is a fantastic person. I had many experiences with him, we would spend hours shooting after training. I talked to him, asked him a lot of questions. He always told me: ‘Trust’. And that he knew that he would always have my moment. A very simple and very effective message. He is a very smart and capable guy. And he is showing it. Getting to a Final Four is very difficult. I congratulate him, I hope the best for him.
Could things have been done better when you left Madrid?
Honestly, I don’t regret it. I was in the US trying to make a decision, but I didn’t want to be a distraction for the team or for the club. I still don’t know what would have been the best way to do it. I could have been giving information every week on social networks. But that would have been a distraction. I was in contact with the club, I am grateful to them for keeping the doors open for me. When I knew 100% that I was not coming back, I called the club that same day. I also told them that I wanted to say goodbye to the fans and say thank you. Madrid invited me to the tribute and everything ended well. I have a lot of love for the club. I wish I could talk to each of those fans to say thank you, to give them a hug. I have lived a dream.
Are you still dreaming of the ultimate shot?
Yes. Also, I am trained with young people and I like to share my experiences. I show them videos, so they know a little about me. I still think a lot about basketball.
In his career, everything could have changed if he had accepted that offer from Barça.
[Ríe] It would have been different. I think about it from time to time and I don’t know what it would have been like. I would like to say that we would have won as many titles as we did with Madrid, but I don’t know. I think I made it to the perfect team for me, having Laso who understood basketball as a point guard, as a shooting guard. I was with the Spanish, then young, from the national team, who knew how to win. So they were single, without children. We grew up together, forming our families. There was a huge evolution, not only on the track, but also off.
Would you have liked to play with them for Spain?
I would have loved it. Being an American it is difficult to play for our team. Seeing the competitiveness of the Spanish team and getting to know the people, I wish I could have. I had a touch of all this living with Chacho, Rudy, Sergi, Felipe… I shared almost 700 games with them.
The shooter, is it born or made?
It is a mixture of talent and work. But my conclusion is that it is 20% natural and 80% work. I have had the privilege of speaking with other great shooters and have been amazed at the similarities we have had in our work routines over the years.
What was your secret to playing until you were 38?
I don’t really believe in extreme diets. I believe in living a healthy life, in eating healthy. I am a Mormon, because of my religion, I have never drank or smoked. And I like to eat things that are not food. If I see a lot of things on a restaurant menu that I don’t understand, I try not to eat it. If I pick up an apple, I eat it. A healthy life.
In the titles, not a glass of champagne.
I liked to throw champagne on top of others at celebrations. I was a bit strange, after winning many wanted to go out and celebrate. I needed to take a breath, I wanted to ride my horse and go where there are no people, without noise. Something weird. I had so many emotions that I wanted to disconnect.
He spent two years as a missionary in Chile, which was not a problem for his sports career.
That experience marked my life. It was the first time in another country, with another language. I grew a lot. He had a life of accomplishing goals, but this was something other than basketball. And it also made me stronger, because out of 100 people, 90 rejected me. I kicked the streets a lot preaching, it was a humbling cure. It was different but nice, I learned about the world, myself and other people. I stopped playing and gained a lot of weight, I have never been that fat in my entire life. But I don’t know how, last month the fat began to come out and I came back from Chile with the same weight that I left. It was a miracle. It was also two years in which I did not punish my body, perhaps that allowed me to go so far later.
Finally, what would you give to play another Final Four?
I would give it all. If they call me now, I’m here. Physically he could play 30 seconds, but he would do everything possible to win. I would love to hit the last triple to win.

According to the criteria of

The Trust Project

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2023-05-18 22:53:00
#dreaming #shot

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