Rose Announces Addition of Matt Carlino

PROVO -- BYU head basketball coach Dave Rose announced today that freshman Matt Carlino has joined the program and is eligible to practice with the Cougars.

Carlino transferred to BYU from UCLA and will have to sit out the next two semesters due to NCAA transfer rules. He will be eligible to play in games for the Cougars after the completion of the Fall 2011 semester and will have three and a half years to play.

“We are excited that this year Matt will be able to learn our system and put himself in a position to help our team win when he’s eligible,” BYU head coach Dave Rose said. “We really like his attitude and his competitive nature.”

“Matt is a playmaking guard. He’s a terrific shooter that can score off the dribble and is an excellent distributor. He has the versatility to play multiple positions but our expectation is that his natural position is point guard.”

Prior to UCLA, Carlino played his final year of high school basketball at Bloomington South in Bloomington, Ind., for J.R. Holmes. He led the Panthers to a 23-1 record, the Conference Indiana title and a No. 1 ranking for much of the season. At Bloomington South he averaged 13.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists and was named to the Indiana Junior All-Star Team and to the All-Conference Indiana Team. Carlino graduated following his junior year to enroll at UCLA.

A Scottsdale, Ariz., native, Carlino played his first two years at Highland High School in Gilbert, Ariz., where he was coached by his father, Mark Carlino. As the starting point guard, he led Highland to a 24-6 record as a freshman and a 29-4 mark as a sophomore. During his sophomore year he averaged 19.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.7 steals while being named first-team all-state and Fiesta Region Player of the Year. He scored 30-plus points six times and led Highland to the state title game.

As a freshman, Carlino averaged 16.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.9 steals and earned first-team All-Fiesta Region and second-team all-state honors.

Carlino is the son of Mark and Brett Carlino and has one younger sister (Cate) and one younger brother (Jack). His father played basketball at Arizona State.