5-Star 2024 PG Elliot Cadeau Commits to North Carolina

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North Carolina picked up a major commitment Wednesday at the Jordan Holiday Classic in the Bronx.

Elliot Cadeau, of Link Academy, became the second highest ranked player by Rivals in the Hubert Davis era to commit to the Tar Heels during the Hubert Davis era. Rankings are fluid, and are always changing, but currently Cadeau is ranked No. 15 in the Class of 2024. Simeon Wilcher is the highest ranked UNC signee and/or commit. The guard from Roselle Catholic in New Jersey is ranked 14th in the 2023 class. Both are the only two five-star recruits to pledge with Davis.

Cadeau received roughly 20 scholarship offers, but it appeared to come down to North Carolina and Texas Tech. He took official visits to Lubbock in late September, and then to Chapel Hill on October 7. Cadeau also took his only other official to Louisville two weeks later in October. It has been widely believed since early in the recruitment that the major players were the Tar Heels and Red Raiders.

Jeff Lebo was in Fort Meyers, FL, on Sunday, September 18 to watch Cadeau and Link Academy at the City of Palms Classic. At that time the junior told our very own Rob Cassidy he intended to commit before the AAU season began in the spring. That timeframe was expedited when Cadeau pledged to the Tar Heels ten days later.

North Carolina's interest in Cadeau began last spring, and went up a notch on June 15 when college coaches could first begin directly contacting Class of 2024 prospects. That courtship continued for just over a month before the Tar Heels offered on July 24 during Peach Jam. That invite came one day after an outstanding performance against Team CP3 which featured Robert Dillingham and G.G. Jackson. Cadeau displayed a well-rounded game with 15 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, and three steals. He was 6 of 14 from the field, and knocked down two of his four three-point attempts. He ended up averaging 10 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.3 rebounds for the event, Cadeau shot 53.3 percent from three-point territory, and 52.5 percent overall.

After the EYBL's showcase tournament, Cadeau described the window between the initial contact and the offer to Tar Heel Illustrated.

"Before the offer, I talked to the Head Coach, Hubert (Davis) a couple of times; probably about five times. We talked a lot, but he told me he wanted to see me in person, and follow some of my games before he offered me, " Cadeau explained.

Next on the agenda was the official visit to North Carolina in early October. Cadeau told Tar Heel Illustrated afterwards that Live Action With Carolina Basketball which was held on that Friday night was what stood out to him.

"I've really never been to something like that. To see everybody coming together, and see all of the kids have fun, and cheering when they came out, and showing love to them was great, " Cadeau said.

He also added the coaching staff's message to him was that he was really wanted, and that he was a priority. That was obvious from North Carolina's recruiting actions as well. Hubert Davis served as Cadeau's lead recruiter through most of the process.

According to Rob Cassidy, North Carolina is getting, "A well-rounded point guard that sees the floor incredibly well, Cadeau is a creative passer without being reckless, a line that is sometimes hard for an underclassman to walk."

Cassidy also critiqued in another article from Fort Myers, "Cadeau does a lot of things really well. His five-star status reflects that, but it was his passing ability that jumped off the page in Florida. The Link Academy point guard reads every inch of the floor and sometimes throws passes that leave onlookers wondering how he even saw the recipient. He’s mastered the art of creativity without carelessness when it comes to running a break and is just as reliable in the half-court as he is in transition. On Sunday, he racked up nine assists while committing just one turnover and served as the catalyst for his squad’s narrow victory."

HIs numbers from the Peach Jam indicate that he can score, but he is all about getting his teammates involved. His stat line at last week's City of Palms Classic were very similar to the ones at Peach Jam. He averaged 10 points and 6.5 assists back in July. He averaged 10 and 7 in Florida.

Cadeau was also a member of the Swedish National Team last summer of the FIBA U18 Euro B Division Tournament. Sweden came away with the gold, and Cadeau was named Most Valuable Player thanks in part to a 36-point, five-rebound, four-assist, and four-steal performance in the finals

Zach Smart of NYCHoops.com of the Rivals network analyzes Cadeau as, "An extraordinary downhill scorer with. A high IQ game manager, Cadeau's purity of vision with the ball in his hands and knack for making the right read. He's a shifty, elusive off the dribble scorer who thoroughly carves out space for his ability to attack the rim and play make in the half court set."

The next question is which season will be his freshman campaign at North Carolina. Cadeau told Cassidy last week before his commitment that he is still, "currently in the class of 2024," but would consider reclassification if the school he signs with “has a point guard leave for the NBA Draft.”

That "point guard" Cadeau he is now referring to is R.J. Davis. The North Carolina starter is having a good junior campaign, but he is not currently any NBA First Round Draft boards. The same can be said for Caleb Love. The Tar Heels also have freshman combo guard, Seth Trimble, on the roster. He has appeared in all 13 games, and is averaging 13.5 minutes of playing time per contest.

Simeon Wilcher will also be a freshman at UNC next season. The 6-foot-5 high school senior is can play both on and off the ball like both Love and Trimble.

The only other current commit in North Carolina's 2024 class is Drake Powell. The 6-foot-6 junior from Northwood High in Pittsboro appears to be a two/three on the next level.