Can UNC freshman point guard Elliot Cadeau help lead Tar Heels back to NCAA Tournament?
Elliot Cadeau settled into a seat in the Smith Center on Friday and faced the least amount of pressure he’ll have at North Carolina this season — questions from the media.
It was basketball media day at UNC and the Tar Heels’ Armando Bacot and R.J. Davis got their share of attention, as they should as team leaders. There were questions about last season and being preseason No. 1 and then missing the NCAA tournament … the expected stuff.
“We definitely got humbled,” Bacot said. “We’re ready to fight and prove a lot of people wrong.”
Cadeau, 19, will face different kinds of questions. The freshman comes in as a five-star recruit, possibly as the starting point guard of the Tar Heels, as someone to run what UNC coach Hubert Davis wants to be an offense with a lot more pace, someone who can help lead them back into the NCAAs.
Davis said Friday the “spotlight” is always on UNC when it comes to basketball.
“It’s unavoidable. This is Carolina,” Davis said. “It doesn’t matter what year, what season, the expectations of this team and this program never changes. You have to deal with it. You’re going to have to thrive in this type of atmosphere, where everyone is looking, everyone is talking and paying attention.
“It is what it is. If you don’t want the light shined on you, this isn’t the place for you.”
Cadeau is a part of that now. He will feel it.
Ready for next level
The West Orange, New Jersey, native decided to reclassify into the Class of 2023 and play college basketball this season instead at Link Academy in Branson, Missouri.
“I just thought I was ready for this level,” Cadeau said Friday. “I thought it was the best decision for my development and getting better as a player. I thought coming down here and playing against great guards will make me better than against any high school guard.”
One of those guards was Cole Anthony, now in the NBA. The former UNC player, after competing against Cadeau during a summer visit to Chapel Hill, was so impressed that he compared the teenager to himself because of the speed and skill.
Cadeau might be just what the Heels need. He’s a pass-first and pass-second kind of player who has said he’d rather make a super pass than any shot.
Yes, he did say that.
“For sure,” Cadeau said. “I definitely would rather make a really good pass because I feel like if I throw a lot to the bigs it’s a highlight for us. If I just dunk, it’s just a highlight for me. So why would I want one highlight when I could have two?
“I realize that something that sets me apart from everybody else is that I can play-make. There’s scoring guards everywhere but you can’t find that many unselfish playmakers.”
Any shooter likes to hear those kinds of words. Cormac Ryan, to name one.
Ryan is a graduate transfer from Notre Dame, and Davis said Friday he would be one of the guys with the “green light” to shoot. Cadeau will be one of those looking to get him the ball.
“I love Elliot,” Ryan said Friday. “He’s such a great point guard. Super athletic, great vision and a competitor who really gets after it. As a shooter, I appreciate guys who understand how to put a pass on time and on target.”
Ryan is one of five transfers into the program. Another is Paxson Wojcik, a 6-5 guard and graduate who came from Brown and like Ryan has been impressed with the freshman.
“He’s uber talented,” Wojcik said. “He’s super skilled, super fast. He makes passes not many people can make and has a high feel for the game. He’s not the normal freshman. He has a higher maturity level.”
Cadeau still has much to learn, he said. Defense, for one thing. It’s much more physical and the screens tougher to handle, he said.
At 6-1 and 180 pounds, he has the strength, but he’s not in Missouri anymore. It’s college basketball.
“It’s all at a higher speed,” he said.
And will get faster once the games and the season begins.
This story was originally published October 6, 2023 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Can UNC freshman point guard Elliot Cadeau help lead Tar Heels back to NCAA Tournament?."
