Rytas Vilnius continue the New Year with another addition to the roster, as the capital city club has officially signed a contract with Jordan Caroline, a 201 cm tall American forward.
Caroline arrives in Vilnius directly from France’s top division, Betclic ÉLITE, where he represented Saint-Quentin this season. Playing a solid role for the team, the forward averaged 10.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and an 8.6 efficiency rating in just over 29 minutes per game.
The player had a valid contract with the French club until the end of the season, but after lengthy negotiations an agreement was reached to terminate the sporting contract. As a result, Rytas Vilnius will not be required to pay a transfer fee.
“After Gytis left, the gaps in our roster were felt immediately — especially on defense and in rebounding,” said Rytas Vilnius head coach Giedrius Žibėnas.
“We were looking for a player who can play effectively without the ball, bring energy and physicality on both ends of the court, and who has European experience. That is exactly Jordan’s style of play. We are not asking him for eye-catching statistics — we are asking for impact for the team. On top of that, if needed, Jordan’s strong build allows him to slide to the power forward position, giving us more offensive versatility.”
Caroline’s career has featured impressive numbers dating back to his college years. Playing for the Nevada Wolf Pack, he etched his name into both university and NCAA history by surpassing 2,000 career points and becoming the Mountain West Conference record holder for double-doubles, surpassing even NBA champion Andrew Bogut. During his time at Nevada, Caroline earned multiple Conference Player of the Month awards, led his team to the prestigious NCAA Sweet 16, and averaged 17 points and 9.6 rebounds in his final collegiate season.
Despite going undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft, Caroline proved his value with the Los Angeles Lakers Summer League team and signed a contract with the NBA franchise in July of the same year. Although a foot surgery in September prevented his NBA debut, he showed solid performances with the South Bay Lakers. His G League season was limited by a groin injury suffered in January, which forced him to miss the remainder of the campaign, but he still averaged 11.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.
In Europe, Caroline has also proven his value beyond France, competing in top-level leagues in Italy (Aquila Basket Trento), Spain (Baloncesto Fuenlabrada), and Israel.
The newest member of Rytas Vilnius is already in Vilnius and will join team practices after completing a medical examination. Caroline is expected to make his debut with the team in the near future.