Five-star point guard Elliot Cadeau announced his reclassification to 2023 on Tuesday, a move that North Carolina legend Tyler Hansbrough says will “change the dynamic” of the Tar Heels’ team next season.
“Elliot Cadeau is a dynamic point guard,” Hansbrough said Monday, via the SleepHawk Worldwide podcast. “He is a true point guard. His reclassification will change the dynamic of the team. This will give us another primetime player. Cadeau is going to be big-time for us. He can pass. He can play.”
Ranked No. 12 in the class of 2023, Cadeau is the third-highest-ranked point guard to enroll with the Tar Heels since 2000 and is expected to start alongside senior RJ Davis in UNC’s backcourt next season.
Davis ranked second in scoring (16.1 points per game) and first in assists (3.2 per game) for the Tar Heels last season while adding 5.1 rebounds per game from his lead guard spot. He was the best 3-point shooter (36.2%) on the ACC’s worst 3-point shooting team.
“It’s good because we can move RJ Davis over to shooting guard,” Hansbrough said. “I am expecting RJ to have a big year next year. He was our most improved player this year. He added a lot to his game. He was more consistent. He is the one guy I am really looking forward to watching this year. He gives us three big-time players: RJ Davis, Armando Bacot and Elliot Cadeau.”
Cadeau, originally from West Orange, N.J., shined at Branson (Mo.) Link Academy, impressing with his passing ability and athleticism. He turned even more heads at Nike’s EYBL circuit, where he averaged 15.7 points (50.0 FG%, 35.4 3pt%, 87.9 FT%), 9.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game in 17 regular-season games. His team, the New Heights Lightning, went 13-4.
“I just thought I was ready and that there’s no need for me to play another year of high school,” Cadeau said of his reclassification. “I think I’ll benefit North Carolina and myself more if I go to college this year. I feel like I can play at that level now.”
Cadeau says he’s confident UNC will be able to make some noise in the ACC with its new-look roster.
“We can accomplish a lot,” Cadeau said. “We have a mix of freshmen and veterans, so everybody is new but also pretty experienced. We’ll mesh together and do something special this year. You can expect a more team-oriented basketball this season. Everyone has the same goal of winning a national championship.”
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The addition of Cadeau puts UNC at No. 7 overall in the 247Sports team rankings for its combined haul, which also includes four-star combo guard Simeon Wilcher, four-star power forward Zayden High, plus Stanford transfer Harrison Ingram, Notre Dame transfer Cormac Ryan, Louisville transfer Jae’Lyn Withers and Brown transfer Paxson Wojcik.
DuShawn London contributed to this report.
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