Utah Jazz: Almond, Carroll shine at Rocky Mtn. Revue

TAYLORSVILLE — Morris Almond and Jaycee Carroll are not exactly in the same position, but both have plenty at stake during the Rocky Mountain Revue. The two noted scorers need to show they have well-rounded basketball abilities on both ends of the court in order to reach their separate goals.

Almond, the first-round pick of the Utah Jazz in 2007, has guaranteed money and a roster spot, but he wants to show that he deserves NBA playing time. That may well open up for him — especially if Utah fails to match the offer sheet C.J. Miles signed last Friday with Oklahoma City.

Carroll, meanwhile, is just trying to make an NBA roster. The former Utah State star and Evanston, Wyo., native went undrafted last month, but he is playing for the New Jersey Nets at the Revue.

Almond and Carroll alternated in putting on an offensive shows during the Jazz's 87-79 win over the Nets Tuesday night at Salt Lake Community College.

Carroll, playing the point unlike his days as a shooting guard for the Aggies, finished with a team-high 22 points on 9-for-17 shooting in front of a crowd that cheered him all game.

"I was glad that I was able to come out and get off to a good start early," said Carroll, the all-time leading scorer in USU history who struggled with a 1-for-7 shooting night in his Revue debut on Monday. "I had a lot of fans, a lot of friends, a lot of family out there. It was great. It was good to see all those people and I really appreciate all the support I get from all the Utah/Wyoming people that came down."

Carroll directed his team to a lead of as many as 14 points before the Jazz went on a 15-2 run late in the third quarter. He is still learning the point guard position, as his coaches will attest, and he had just two assists with four turnovers, however.

"Jaycee did a much better job today, especially at the offensive end," said Nets assistant coach Brian Hill. "He got us out to a good start with a couple of nice plays. He gave us a lift throughout the game offensively."

Of course, scoring has never been a problem for Carroll. His (lack of) defense may be the reason he doesn't make the NBA. Jazz point guard Tyrone Brazelton, who didn't even play in the first half when the Nets opened up a 10-point lead at the break, scored 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting in the second half.

"Defensively I need to be better than I was tonight," said Carroll. "The first half I was pretty good. The second half I did a pretty poor job."

Almond, meanwhile, had his best game of the Revue primarily because he was aggressive in driving to the basket and was getting fouled with regularity. Almond finished with a game-high 24 points and was 14-for-18 from the foul line.