BIO: Jordan Caroline was born in Champaign, Illinois (USA).

Caroline played two years of high school basketball for Champaign Central High School before transferring to Montverde Academy. Playing alongside Ben Simmons and D’Angelo Russell, Caroline helped the team to back-to-back national titles in 2013 and 2014.

FAMILY: Caroline’s maternal grandfather was J. C. Caroline, who was a running back for Illinois and led the nation in rushing as a sophomore in 1953 before playing 10 seasons for the Chicago Bears, primarily as a defensive back. His father, Simeon Rice, was an All-American defensive end at Illinois in 1994 and 1995 and was picked third in the NFL draft and played 12 NFL seasons. His mother Jayna Caroline, was a track athlete in high school and graduated from Illinois.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Jordan Caroline made his NBL debut with the Melbourne United at 26 years of age. He scored two points in his first game.

Melbourne entered the season after finishing first with a 20-8 record before losing the deciding semifinal against Tasmania without injured captain Chris Goulding. Jo Lual-Acuil (to China), Caleb Agada, Jack White (to Denver) and Matthew Dellavedova (to Sacramento) exited, with White and Dellavedova receiving NBA opportunities despite being contracted and leaving coach Dean Vickerman scrambling for replacements late in the off-season. Goulding, Shea Ili, Ariel Hukporti and Brad Newley returned from the previous season, while Isaac Humphries (via Adelaide), Xavier Rathan-Mayes (via Illawarra), Rayjon Tucker, Makuach Maluach (via Darwin), development player Joshua Duach and Jordan Caroline were added. David Barlow also reversed his retirement decision and returned to the playing roster.

Caroline (via Trento) completed Melbourne’s import roster on August 4, signing a one-season deal only five days after Dellavedova’s departure was confirmed. Although the NBA exits had created the late roster scramble, Caroline was primarily recruited to replace the rebounding, versatility and athleticism lost through White’s departure. “Being on a team that’s used to having a lot of success excites me a lot because above all else I pride myself on being a winner,” he said.

Melbourne’s frontcourt plans changed again when Hukporti ruptured his Achilles during the NBL Blitz and was ruled out for the season. With Humphries still returning from serious knee problems and Mason Peatling unavailable after off-season knee surgery, Caroline was required to spend considerable time as an undersized centre rather than his natural power forward position.

Caroline made his NBL debut in Melbourne’s season opener against New Zealand at John Cain Arena on October 2, starting and finishing with 2 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals as United won 101-97 in overtime. Rathan-Mayes (33 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) and Goulding (24 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals) led Melbourne, while Dererk Pardon (23 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks) was the Breakers’ best.

Caroline (5.5 points and 6.2 rebounds across 6 games) appeared in Melbourne’s opening six fixtures and started three times. His effort and work rate were never questioned, with Vickerman describing them as “unbelievable,” but the positional change routinely left him defending bigger centres while shooting 27 percent from the field.

His best game came against Sydney at John Cain Arena on October 9, where Caroline (10 points, 10 rebounds, and 1 steal) recorded his only NBL double-double, but the Kings defeated Melbourne 91-71. Lachlan Barker (10 points and 3 rebounds) and Barlow (9 points and 2 rebounds) provided support for United, while Xavier Cooks (23 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 block) led Sydney after the Kings built a 57-23 halftime advantage.

Caroline’s final appearance came against Sydney at John Cain Arena on October 23, where he returned to the starting lineup and finished with 7 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 assist as Melbourne lost 87-69 and fell to 2-4. Tucker (20 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Goulding (14 points) led United, while Cooks (14 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block) was Sydney’s best.

Caroline was removed from the rotation for Melbourne’s following four games before United agreed to his mutual release on November 16. With Hukporti unavailable and the club needing a recognised centre, Marcus Lee (8.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks across 17 games; via Manresa) was signed for the remainder of the season as Caroline’s replacement.

Lee had been released by Spanish club BAXI Manresa on the same day he signed with Melbourne, before Caroline (to Manresa) joined Lee’s former team the following day. The moves were not announced as a trade, but Caroline effectively filled the roster position Lee had vacated in Spain. Manresa released Caroline on December 31 after two Liga Endesa appearances before he joined Fuenlabrada for the remainder of the European season.

Tucker (18.1 points and 6.1 rebounds across 28 games) and Goulding (17.1 points across 27 games) led Melbourne offensively, while Rathan-Mayes (14.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists across 28 games), Humphries (9.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks across 23 games) and Ili (8.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists across 14 games) were the other major contributors. Goulding received All-NBL Second Team honours and Melbourne’s Most Valuable Player award, while Lee was named the club’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Melbourne fell to 5-10 before winning 10 of its final 13 games and entering the last day of the regular season with an opportunity to reach the play-in tournament. Tucker (31 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block) and Goulding (23 points and 2 steals) led United to a 116-107 victory over Adelaide at John Cain Arena, while Antonius Cleveland (30 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) was the 36ers’ best. Perth then defeated Sydney 96-84 to claim sixth place on points percentage, leaving Melbourne seventh with a 15-13 record.

Jordan Caroline played one season in the NBL. He averaged 5.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 6 NBL games.