EVANSTON, Ill. -- Matt Carroll was born in Costa Rica, spent most of his childhood in Guatemala, then moved with his family to Colorado before eighth grade.
It's no wonder that he has occasionally felt a little homesick since arriving on the Purdue campus last summer.
"A couple times, I've sat down and looked at things," the Boilermakers freshman forward said. "But I've always come to the conclusion that this is the place for me. I have friends here. I've adjusted. I'm glad I made this decision."
The talented but raw Carroll figures prominently in the Boilers' future. That future apparently begins tonight when Purdue plays at Northwestern.
Barring an unlikely Big Ten tournament title, the Boilers' chances of qualifying for a postseason tournament are nearly gone. Thus, coach Gene Keady plans to shake up the starting lineup.
Carroll and sophomore forward Brett Buscher, who usually come off the bench, are expected to start. Sophomore center Kevin Garrity is expected to get more playing time than usual. So might freshman walk-on guard Andrew Ford.
"I don't know if it's going to be the answer," Keady said. "But they're going to get a shot."
Carroll said he won't be as nervous as he was in his first start, Dec. 17 against Illinois-Chicago. Carroll played just eight minutes in that game but is expected to play much more tonight.
"At this time of the season, I kind of take a different approach," he said. "I just go in thinking, 'How can I help the team?' It takes a little pressure off me in terms of thinking 'I've got to perform. I've got to do this.' "
Carroll's father, Danny, played at Rice before graduating in 1975 and later played for Athletes in Action. He and Carroll's mother, Joan, eventually became Christian missionaries in Central America.
During his time there, Carroll primarily spoke Spanish and German. He attended a school run by the Austrian government and is fluent in both languages. He played soccer and baseball.
He only began to take basketball seriously when the family moved to Aurora, Colo. Danny Carroll said it was because it allowed him to make friends quickly.
"When I first saw him play, he just had a certain fluidness to him," said Danny, who is now a professor at Denver Seminary. "And the nice thing that happened for Matthew was that his high school coach (Smoky Hill High School's Russ McKinstry) was a great fundamental coach."
Carroll improved enough to be invited to the prestigious Nike camp before his senior season, then chose Purdue over Vanderbilt, Stanford and Utah.
But it's been apparent during parts of his initial Big Ten season that he hasn't played as much organized basketball as some of his counterparts.
"He's a good passer and a good screener, so we'll find a place for him now," Keady said. "Rebounding has always been kind of his forte. I thought he would be better than he is. But he's young. We probably should have redshirted him."
Keady has been impressed by Carroll's competitiveness, especially after a 69-67 loss at Illinois on Feb. 9 in which Carroll missed all four of his free throws.
After the Purdue bus pulled up to Mackey Arena, Carroll changed into his practice uniform and shot 200 free throws.
"All of us, as a group, expected to do a lot better," Carroll said. "We expected great things out of this season. It's been a learning experience in terms of having to deal with disappointment."
