For many players on the Bobcats roster, this season has
been one of opportunity. It has been a chance to prove themselves, to show that they belong and can have an impact in the NBA.

This is especially true for one of the team's newest members, Matt Carroll. With the Bobcats shorthanded due to a number of injuries, Carroll was signed as a free agent from the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) to help shore up Charlotte's rotation. Now given a chance to play in the league, he is looking to make the most of the opportunity.

'I'm thrilled to be here in Charlotte,' Carroll remarked after joining the team. 'I'm really excited to come here and work with these guys and hopefully help them win some games. I'm going to do everything on my part to make this the right fit for me and make this a special place.'

A self-described gym rat, Carroll's journey to the NBA began as a youth growing up in Pittsburgh, PA. With his family heavily involved in sports, he quickly developed a passion for the game.

'My grandfather coached high school basketball in Pittsburgh for 51 years,' he explained. 'He's the winningest coach in Pennsylvania history. My dad played football at Penn State. My brother, Pat, is currently the shooting guard at St. Joseph's. Sports are in our bloodline. That's how I got started in it.'

After finishing an outstanding four-year career at the University of Notre Dame, Carroll was signed as a free agent by the Portland Trail Blazers in November, 2003. He saw action in 13 games before being released. After a brief stint with the NBDL's Roanoke Dazzle, he was signed for the remainder of the 2003-04 season by the San Antonio Spurs.

As the 2004-05 season got underway, Carroll found himself in training camp with the Golden State Warriors. Released just prior to the regular season, the 6-6 guard decided to return to NBDL's Roanoke Dazzle, where he teamed up with Bobcats teammate Cory Alexander to lead the team to a first-place record.

'The NBDL was great for me,' said Carroll who led the league in scoring, averaging 20.1 points per game while shooting .503 from the field and .605 from three-point range. 'It was a tough decision for me because guys in my situation have a lot of opportunities to go overseas and make some good money. My goal, though, was to play in the NBA. I believe this is where I belong and where I want to play. The way to get here is to go to the NBDL.'

The decision paid off for Carroll, who was added to the Bobcats roster on February 23.

'We like Matt's innate competitiveness,' said Bobcats General Manager & Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff. 'The guy can score and really shoot the basketball. It kind of fits what we do offensively. We're looking toward the future.'

Carroll understands what is expected of him and plans to make the most of his opportunity.

'I think my best skills are shooting the ball and helping stretch the defense to give the big guys room to work," said Carroll. "I'm just here to work as hard as I can and then when my opportunity to play comes I'll be ready.'

The opportunity to play arrived for Carroll this past weekend.

With starting wing players Kareem Rush and Gerald Wallace both on the injured list, Carroll played a career-high 24 minutes at Philadelphia on Friday, scoring seven points and grabbing a career-high seven rebounds.

On Saturday, Carroll thrilled the Charlotte Coliseum crowd and quickly became a fan favorite by scoring a career-high 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting in eight minutes off the bench against the Los Angeles Lakers.

"It felt good," said Carroll after Saturday's game. "My teammates set some great screens for me and Brevin (Knight) is a heck of a passer. He found me at the right time and put the ball right where I needed it. Tonight (the shots) were falling."

Current Bobcats and Former Dazzle Guard Earns League's Top Honor

Carroll Named Most Valuable Player

GREENVILLE , S.C. , March 31 - Current Charlotte Bobcats guard Matt Carroll has been named the National Basketball Development League's Most Valuable Player for the 2004-05 season. Carroll, who played the majority of the season for the Roanoke Dazzle, was selected by a vote of the league's head coaches.

Carroll, 6-6 and 212-pounds, was signed by the Bobcats on February 23. At the time of his GATORADE Call-Up, Carroll led the NBDL in scoring (20.1 ppg) and three-point field goal percentage at (.605, 23-38). He was the NBDL player of the month for January after averaging 22.3 points and making 64-percent from behind the three-point line (9-14).

'When Matt called me and said he wanted to come back to Roanoke after training camp at Golden State, I was obviously very happy,' Dazzle head coach Kent Davison said. 'I knew we were getting a great player back, and secondly, I knew we were getting a player who would do the things he needed to do to get better and make us better. He had made his mind up that he was going to be the best player in this league.'

Carroll has played in 12 games since signing with the Bobcats, averaging 15.4 minutes, 7.5 points and 2.6 rebounds. He scored a season-high 18 points against the Boston Celtics on March 14.

'Matt displayed a tremendous work ethic and focus this season, which ultimately earned him a call-up to the Bobcats,' NBDL director of basketball operations Chris Alpert said. 'His ability to shoot the long-range jump shot and create using the dribble makes him difficult to guard.'

Carroll put up the top scoring game in the NBDL this season with 43 points against the Florida Flame on February 9. That output is the second-best single game effort in D-League history. He tied the NBDL single game record by making 19 field goals in that game.

'Matt's continued development speaks volumes of the tremendous job the Roanoke coaches did preparing him to play in the NBA.' Alpert said. 'We anticipate Matt will follow along the similar path of past NBDL MVPs who are proving to be valuable contributors to NBA teams.'

Carroll joins current NBA players Devin Brown (Spurs) and Tierre Brown (Lakers), as well as former NBA forward Ansu Sesay (Sonics) as winners of the NBDL Most Valuable Player Award. Sesay was the league's inaugural winner while playing for Greenville in 2001-02, while Devin Brown claimed the honor as a Fayetteville Patriot in 2002-03. Tierre Brown won it last season while playing at Charleston.

Pat Carroll Named Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America

March 23, 2005

NEW YORK - Saint Joseph 's senior Pat Carroll has been named an Honorable Mention All-America as selected by the Associated Press. Carroll's selection marks the second consecutive year that Hawk players have been honored as Jameer Nelson (1st) and Delonte West (honorable mention) received the recognition last season.

The Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Year, Carroll is leading the Hawks through a successful postseason run. Saint Joseph's has won three NIT games and needs one more victory to earn a berth in the NIT semifinals in New York.

Carroll has averaged 19.0 points per game in the NIT games and is scoring 18.1 overall.

He'll leave Hawk Hill as the best 3-point shooter in school history, currently owning school records for career 3-point percentage (44.8), career 3-point field goals (283) and 3-pointers in a season (124).

"Pat has always had a certain dignity and class about him. His legacy here at Saint Joseph's will be of seeing a young guy in the gym by himself. Nobody's worked as hard as he has. And when you see the young guys wheeling out the shooting machine, you know it's because they saw Pat doing it. I know that this place has had a tremendous impact on him, but he's also had such a tremendous impact on this campus," said Hawk coach Phil Martelli.