Rumors were circulating over the past two weeks that Carroll was considering a transfer. His uncle previously coached at UAB and was recently named head coach at Missouri. School transfer possibilities include Missouri, N.C. State, UAB, Marquette and Memphis.
Carroll was a vital player for Vanderbilt who averaged 11 points a game for the Commodores. More important for Vandy was the fact that Carroll was the number two rebounder on the team. The top rebounder? That was Julian Terrell who will soon be collecting his degree and moving on to new things in life.
Additionally, the 6-7 Carroll was a scrapper under the basket on both offense and defense. He was a favorite among many fans during a tumultuous, up and down season for Vanderbilt basketball which included heartbreaking home losses to Georgia and South Carolina along with an inspiring sweep of Kentucky.
The departure of Carroll is almost certain to increase the heat on head coach Kevin Stallings. Stallings, already the subject of rumors regarding other coaching positions, has endured the transfers of several key players during his stay in Nashville. To his credit, despite the stinging loss, Stallings wished Carroll the best, "Given the makeup of our roster, he feels that significant playing time on the perimeter is not likely. We certainly wish DeMarre all the best," said Stallings.
Carroll will be hard for Vanderbilt to replace and his loss could mean another NIT type season or worse for the guys in Black & Gold. There are several capable players who could help fill the spot left by Carroll including junior Alan Metcalfe, redshirt freshman Kyle Madsen, LSU transfer Ross Neltner, and incoming true freshman JeJuan Brown.
While Vanderbilt will likely be able to recover from the loss of Carroll, Vandy fans won't dare ponder the unthinkable: Could more transfers be forthcoming? Lets hope not!
DeMarre Carroll (VM/Stan Jones)