United add powerful American forward Jordan Caroline

Melbourne United have locked down their final import spot for NBL23, adding American forward Jordan Caroline on a one-season deal.

Following a successful college career at Southern Illinois and Nevada, which saw him break Andrew Bogut’s conference double-double record, Caroline has spent time playing in the G-League, Israel, Taiwan and Italy.

Standing over 200cm and weighing in around 100kgs, ‘JC’ has made a career for himself as an expert rebounder and defender, while flashing his ability to shoot the three-ball and push the pace in transition.

Looking towards the season, the forward is eagerly anticipating the opportunity to hit the court and achieve the goals he has set for himself with United.

“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.

“When you’re playing with a talented group of guys with high expectations it makes you be the best that you can be for the team every day… I think we’ve got the talent to make these expectations become reality.”

JC is already very familiar with one of his newest teammates, the recently signed Rayjon Tucker, who he has been playing against since the pair were teenagers.

“Rayjon is a guy I’ve been playing against since high school, so it’s pretty cool that we’ll be playing together for United.

“We’d just always stayed in touch, it’s crazy that we get to play together now because it felt like every step of the way we had to go against each other.

“I’m happy that he’s not going to be trying to dunk on me anymore, 1,000 percent.”

Bringing with him an elite interior presence, Head Coach Dean Vickerman believes the addition of Caroline will go a long way in steering United to the pursuit of another Championship.

“Talking to the people who have coached him and who are around him, his hustle and intensity is the first thing they mention.

“The competitiveness that he plays at, the winning plays he’s willing to make, he’s absolutely fearless and more often than not he’s being rewarded for that effort.”

While many pundits queried how United would account for Jack White’s departure to the NBA, Vickerman believes JC can have a similar impact to the Boomers forward.

“Replacing Jack White was a major challenge of the offseason. Everything he brings to the court, his rebounding, his pace, his athleticism, it all makes for a challenging recruitment, however when we saw Jordan play he just stood out in all those aspects.

“We’re bringing in a guy in his prime who has been a big time player in college, but also has four years of strong pro experience. He’s got the ability to slide in and play some small-ball five for us so he really helps our versatility.”

A high school teammate of NBA All-Stars Ben Simmons and D’Angelo Russell, Caroline is used to playing under the bright lights as he heads down to Melbourne.

JC will take up United’s final import slot, and joins Xavier Rathan-Mayes, Rayjon Tucker, Isaac Humphries, Makuach Maluach and Joshua Duach as new players on Melbourne’s NBL23 roster.

Featuring NBA level talent all over the court, as well as a collection for former and current Boomers and Tall Blacks players, United is quickly amassing one of the most impressive playing groups in recent NBL history.    

With the hype beginning to build for the upcoming season, Melbourne United Memberships are selling fast, with some categories already sold out.

Melbourne United Memberships are the best and most affordable way for fans to watch the NBL and be part of their favourite club, so now is the TIME TO UNITE!