As the son of a Division I basketball coach, basketball has always been a big part of Casey Carroll’s life.
Due to his father’s involvement in the sport, Carroll was exposed to basketball at a young age and has played ever since.
He said, “I grew up around basketball and I just fell in love with the sport at a young age and just continued to play throughout my whole life.”
During his first year at NSU, Carroll was the star of a social media campaign for the Department of Athletics called “#UCallItForCasey.” Facebook and Twitter users were given the chance to suggest various trick shots for Carroll to complete. Carroll then performed each trick shot on video for NSU’s basketball fans in an impressive display of his skill.
Carroll recently finished his undergraduate degree in sport and recreation management and is now pursuing his MBA in management.
I got the chance to sit down with Carroll and learn a little more about him.
After you finish your MBA, do you plan to continue playing basketball?
“That’s the goal right now. I would love to continue playing basketball, but if something else pops up career-wise, I’ll always consider that option. I’m leaving the door open for whatever comes around.”
What’s the most difficult aspect of playing basketball?
“Probably staying healthy. I’ve had a couple bad injuries throughout the year. It’s been tough to stay healthy and maintain that health throughout the whole season since it’s such a long season.”
Do you have any specific tools that you use to motivate yourself throughout the long seasons?
“I’d definitely say my teammates. They’re always supportive of me because they know about my health issues, so they’re always saying ‘Keep pushing, keep pushing, we’ll help you out when we can.’ So my teammates are my motivation to play hard. I always want to get wins for them.”
Have you had any coaches that have influenced or inspired you throughout your basketball career?
“Definitely my dad. I played for him my senior year of high school. It was only his second year of coaching high school, so it was really cool. I’ve always grown up watching him coach, and I’ve always liked his style, and for him to be my official mentor as a coach, rather than a dad watching on the sidelines, was really cool.”
What has been your greatest accomplishment while playing basketball?
“It would definitely be getting a scholarship to play here. I know I’m very fortunate to have a scholarship because I know a lot of people have to pay for college and don’t have the opportunity that I have.”
What is the most rewarding part of playing basketball?
“I’d say making lifelong friends. I’m still really close with teammates from high school and from my previous college and all of the people who have previously graduated here. So those friendships are definitely very rewarding.”
A number of other teams have mentioned that they have specific rituals or superstitions they perform before or after games ― does the basketball team have anything like that?
“Individual players do, but I don’t have any, actually. I’m not superstitious at all. I’m very laid back and kind of a jokester, so even during the games I’m cracking jokes with the other team or my teammates. It lightens the spirit for the people who are really superstitious.”
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not practicing or in a game?
“I play video games a lot. My teammates and I always get online and play ‘Call of Duty’ together. It’s usually just video games or hanging out with my teammates.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF J. FRAYSURE
