Blue Jays' Carroll selected to Lions All-Star roster

Michael Savaloja, The Jamestown Sun, N.D.
·5 min read

Apr. 23—Jamestown's Brooks Carroll was the buzz of the Class A boys basketball postseason in 2020, before COVID-19 cut the Blue Jays' season short one game shy of a return trip to the state championship game.

Then a junior, Carroll nailed an unconscious 17 of 25 from 3-point range in three West Region tournament games prior to state, putting together a beast of a highlight reel as JHS finished the season at 21-4. But realizing the cat was out of the bag on his shot-making ability, the 6-foot-3 Carroll shifted focus to a different area of the court as a senior.

"We prepped him the whole year going into his last season that teams were going to try to take away his No. 1 thing," Jamestown boys basketball coach Jacoby Lloyd explained. "He really did a good job of rebounding and making sure that was an active part of his game.

"We knew that he was a great shooter, but he took the initiative to make sure that he was bringing more to the team than just shooting."

Carroll's value was recognized this week with his placement on the 2021 Class A Lions All-Star roster. The University of Jamestown men's basketball commit will join an all-senior cast that includes 2021 Mr. Basketball finalists Deonte' Martinez of Minot, Jacksen Moni of West Fargo Sheyenne and Carter Birrenkott of West Fargo.

The Lions all-star basketball games, pitting Class A's top seniors against Class B's best, are tentatively scheduled to take place July 12 at Bismarck Legacy High School and July 13 at West Fargo High School.

"That's kinda always been a dream of mine to possibly play in that, so I just thought it was really cool," Carroll said. "There's a lot of really good basketball players that are going to be on this team. I respect all of them and I think they're really good at the game."

Carroll, a guard/small forward, increased his rebounding average by nearly two boards a game — from 5.7 to 7.5 — this past season, which complemented his 12.5 points per game and 41% 3-point shooting (50 of 121) for the 16-7 Blue Jays. Carroll came up with 81 offensive rebounds over the past two seasons, rather impressive for a player who also made 128 shots from beyond the arc.

Carroll is the fourth Lions all-star Lloyd has coached in his three seasons heading up JHS, joining Jared Kallenbach (2019), Mason Walters (2019) and Boden Skunberg (2020). Lloyd coached the Class A all-stars in 2019, the year the Blue Jays cruised to an undefeated state championship at 27-0.

"Brooks is well-deserved," Lloyd said. "I know that Jamestown's not the only school Brooks would have started on. He was a very valuable player for us."

Carroll had a great rebounding role model as a sophomore in Walters, who led the entire NAIA this past winter with 361 rebounds and earned first-team All-American honors as a sophomore for the University of Jamestown Jimmies.

Carroll is looking forward to being reunited with Walters next season at UJ. The Jimmies, directed by head coach Danny Neville, won 22 games and reached the NAIA national tournament quarterfinals last month.

"I just really looked up to him," Carroll said. "He was this really great guy and this really amazing basketball player, and I just think it's gonna be a lot of fun to be his teammate at UJ and get to know him better."

The Jimmies have four recruits appearing on this year's Lions rosters, with Linton/HMB's Lucas Schmacher named to the Class B team and Northern Cass' Jase Crockett and New Rockford-Sheyenne's Evan Ulrich listed as Class B alternates.

Lloyd believes Carroll has the drive to eventually make an impact for the Jimmies.

"Brooks is going to have to put in some hard work, but I think he's capable of doing it because of how dedicated he is to the game," Lloyd said. "He might be the best shooter in the entire city, and Brooks is super, super coachable."

N.D. Lions All-Star Basketball Series

2021 Rosters

Class A boys

Tyler Tollefson, Wahpeton; Ian Ely, Bismarck Century; Brooks Carroll, Jamestown; Owen Hektner, Fargo Davies; Jayce Lowman, Mandan; Braden DeKeyser, Fargo Shanley; Tristan Davis, Belcourt; Gunner Swanson, Bismarck; Deonte' Martinez, Minot; Jacksen Moni, West Fargo Sheyenne; Carter Birrenkott, West Fargo; Khamani Steckler, Fargo South.

Alternates: Mason Love, Mason Gravseth, Grand Forks Central; Peyton Zaun, Valley City; Max Tschosik, Bismarck; Latrel Davis, Fargo Davies.

Head coach: Adam Palczewski, West Fargo; assistant coach: Dean Winczewski, Minot.

Class A girls

Emma Mogen, Ashley Holen, Watford City; Ryleigh Wacha, Taylor Fey, Fargo Davies; Jilee Golus, Bismarck; Alex Page, Grand Forks Red River; Julie Fitterer, Ashton Kinnebrew, Bismarck Century; Ramsey Brown, Jailyn Martinson, Devils Lake; Sydney Gustavsson, Mandan.

Alternates: Brooklyn Koenig, Fargo Davies; Jasmine Sondrol, Elle Fosse, Grand Forks Red River; Jadyn Dieterle, Valley City; Makayla Anderson, Megan Klein, Bismarck Century; Kate Busek, Fargo Shanley.

Head coach: Ron Metz, Bismarck Century; assistant coach: Steve Jacobson, Fargo Shanley.

Class B boys

Caleb Duffield, Bowman County; Warren Walker, Isaiah Bundy-Smith, Rugby; Lucas Schumacher, Linton-HMB; Luke Wanzek, Shiloh Christian; Aidan Rebel, New England; Stevan Garza, Grafton; Alex Huber, Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier; JaeShaun Shaw, Bronson Walter, Four Winds-Minnewaukan; Walker Wold, Lewis and Clark Berthold; Gavin Keller, Kindred.

Alternates: Jase Crockett, Northern Cass; Colton Konschak, Hatton-Northwood; Evan Ulrich, New Rockford-Sheyenne; Grant Gerving, Glen Ullin-Hebron; Tanner Soehren, Dickinson Trinity.

Head coach: Brad Woehl, Kindred; assistant coach: Kevin Strobel, Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier.

Class B girls

Mackenzie Hughes, Thompson; Samantha Oase, Hettinger-Scranton; Julia Dusek, Carlee Sieben, Cassie Sieben, Grafton; Elizabeth Schanilec, Midway-Minto; Kaylee Lowery, Langdon-Edmore-Munich; Madelyn Schmidt, Kidder County; Alyssa St. Pierre, Trenton; Abbey Kubas, Dickinson Trinity; Hannah Hagel, Carrington; Jacie Hall, Shiloh Christian.

Alternates: Isabell Boyer, Grant County; Brooke Blessum, Rugby; McKenna Rolland, Glenburn; Jalyn Hall, Parshall.

Head coach: Laurie Sieben, Grafton; assistant coach: Jay Bachman, Central Cass.