It was a troubling year for North Carolina. The Tar Heels struggled to win big games out of the gate, causing Hubert Davis’ job to be in jeopardy. However, after a strong close to the season, North Carolina controversially earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. In that game, several stars emerged. One was RJ Davis, the senior guard who had previously won ACC Player of the Year. The other has just entered the transfer portal: Elliot Cadeau. The sophomore scored nine points and 12 assists in the blowout win over San Diego State. However, after receiving a lot of criticism from the media, the guard, once tabbed to be Davis’ replacement, has decided to enter the transfer portal.
North Carolina Star Guard Elliot Cadeau Enters Transfer Portal
The Best Parts of Cadeau
Despite his small stature, Cadeau is a high-effort player, who always gave 110% for the Tar Heels. After struggling to shoot during his freshman year, he improved his three-point percentage to 33.7% this season. While that is not elite, that added shooting gave him the space to dive into the paint with his elite speed and athleticism. By improving his three-point shot, defenders were forced to cover him on the outside, allowing him to blow by them and do what he does best: make plays.
Cadeau is an elite passer. Every time he gets the ball in the backcourt, he rushes to push a pass up the floor to try and get a quick bucket. When he flashed to the paint, he made passes for open shots constantly. Cadeau averaged 6.2 assists per game this past season, an increase from the 4,1 he averaged as a freshman. Those plays led to breakout performances of double-digit assists like he had during the game against San Diego State. This is the Cadeau that no UNC fan wanted to transfer.
The Worst Parts of Cadeau
He received criticism from the media for two main reasons. The first was that people believed he held onto the ball too long in certain situations, trying to create a play for himself. Some believe he became selfish when the team struggled, so they would rather have him sit on the bench than play in the clutch. Considering he was arguably the best playmaker in the ACC, Hubert Davis was usually not going to let that happen.
The second revolves around turnovers. Cadeau turned the ball over 3.1 times per game. While this is hardly a bad number, some fans and media saw these as avoidable. Whether he be a failed behind-the-back pass or a no-look lob to nobody, the plays that sometimes created highlights also created turnovers. That’s the game of basketball, but some people would rather prioritize making simple plays over flashy plays to avoid turnovers. Each side has a strong argument, but the negative voices may be the main reason Cadeau is transferring.
Let’s Hope the Fans/Media Isn’t the Reason for Cadeau’s Transfer
In the days of NIL, these players no longer have the benefit of “just” being student-athletes. However, they are still young. They have a lot of learning to do when it comes to both playing and their lives. Some players deserve criticism when they play poorly because their NIL deals are worth enough. However, the criticism shouldn’t go so far as to make a player leave.
Cadeau could be transferring because of internal struggles within the program, but he may be leaving because of the North Carolina fan base. Was Cadeau a perfect player? No, he wasn’t. However, he provided his unique style to North Carolina and helped lead them to the NCAA Tournament as a freshman and sophomore, primarily as a starter. Let’s hope he has his own reasons for leaving outside of fans, because otherwise, it may start a precedent that nobody wants to see continue.
Photo credit: © Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
