Live Wire Blog

Junkyard Grizzly

Posted on June 26, 2009 by Ryan Gavin

Photo by Shane Epping

Former Tigers standout DeMarre Carroll, coming off one of the best seasons in Mizzou basketball history, was drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft Thursday night by the Memphis Grizzlies.

“It’s a whirlwind right now,” Carroll, also known as the Junkyard Dog, said. “I’ve done about a million interviews so far, but this has been an amazing night. I’m so excited to be headed to Memphis. It’s a young, improving organization, and it’s one I’m honored to be a part of.”

Carroll, a 6-foot-8-inch, 225-pound forward, was Mizzou’s 13th first-round draft pick (40th overall) and the first since Linas Kleiza was drafted — also with the 27th pick — in 2005. Carroll led Mizzou to a school-record 31 wins and a NCAA Elite Eight appearance.

A first-team All-Big 12 pick on the court, Carroll averaged 16.6 points and 7.2 rebounds, while ranking second on the team with 1.55 steals per game. He was also named the MVP of the 2009 Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City, where he led Mizzou to its first-ever Big 12 Championship. In addition to his on-court success, Carroll was a first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection and began work on his master’s degree in 2008.

“I would like to congratulate the Memphis Grizzlies and the city of Memphis,” coach Mike Anderson said. “They are getting an outstanding individual into their community and someone who plays to win. That’s probably the biggest thing I can say: Memphis got a winner. I’m happy for the organization, the city of Memphis and, of course, DeMarre.”

As a university, Mizzou also made some history with the first-round selection of Carroll. Mizzou became the third team in the history of the Big 12 to have players selected in the first round of the NBA, NFL and MLB drafts in the same year. Standouts Jeremy Maclin (receiver) and Ziggy Hood (defensive line) went in April’s NFL Draft this year, while Tiger pitchers Aaron Crow and Kyle Gibson went in June’s MLB Draft.