Elliot Cadeau
Cadeau for the 2025–26 Michigan Wolverines
No. 3 – Michigan Wolverines
Position Point guard
League Big Ten Conference
Personal information
Born (2004-09-04) September 4, 2004 (age 21)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Nationality American / Swedish
Listed height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight 180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school
  • Bergen Catholic
    (Oradell, New Jersey)
  • Link Academy
    (Branson, Missouri)
College
  • North Carolina (2023–2025)
  • Michigan (2025–present)
Career highlights
  • NCAA champion (2026)
  • NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (2026)
  • ACC All-Rookie team (2024)
  • FIBA U18 European Championship Division B MVP (2022)
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Sweden
FIBA Europe U18 Championship Division B
Gold medal – first place 2022 Romania National team

Elliot Valentin Cadeau (born September 4, 2004) is an American-Swedish college basketball player for the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference. He was an NCAA national champion and the NCAA tournament's Most Outstanding Player in 2026. Cadeau previously played for the North Carolina Tar Heels for his first two seasons. He was born in the United States, but represents Sweden internationally. After several years representing Sweden at the youth level, he made his senior national team debut in 2023.

Early life

Cadeau was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in West Orange, New Jersey.[1] His father, James, is Haitian while his mother, Michelle, is Swedish, hailing from Skåne.[2][3] As a child he loved football and was a fan of the New York Jets, but he was discouraged from playing the sport because his mother thought it was too dangerous, and suggested he try out for a basketball team instead.[1] He also played baseball, soccer and tennis, but decided to focus on basketball in fifth grade.[4]

Cadeau attended The Patrick School in Hillside, New Jersey, for seventh and eighth grade.[5] During this time he helped his club team, Sports U/Team IZOD, win the 2019 Under Armour Nationals.[6]

High school career

Cadeau began his high school career at Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, New Jersey. He served as the Crusaders' starting point guard during his freshman season, which was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] Cadeau averaged 11.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game,[8] leading his team to a 7–2 record.[9] He was named to the MaxPreps Freshman All-American First Team.[10] Cadeau missed his entire sophomore season due to a high ankle sprain he suffered during a scrimmage against Gill St. Bernard's School in December 2021.[7] He transferred to Link Academy in Branson, Missouri, ahead of his junior year.[11]

Cadeau played AAU basketball for the New Heights Lightning on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) circuit.[2] He was named to the EYBL All-Underclassman team in 2021,[12] and earned All-EYBL Third Team honors in 2022.[13]

Recruiting

Before his reclassification, Cadeau was widely regarded as the top point guard in the class of 2024. Even after reclassifying to the 2023 class, he was a unanimous five-star recruit.[14][15]

In September 2022, Cadeau took his first official visit to Texas Tech, which he described as his dream school growing up.[16] This was followed by a visit to North Carolina the following month.[17] On December 28, 2022, Cadeau committed to coach Hubert Davis of North Carolina.[18]

He made his reclassification official on May 30, 2023, after weeks of speculation, in part due to his stellar play in the GEICO Nationals and on the EYBL circuit.[19]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Elliot Cadeau
PG		 West Orange, NJ Link Academy 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Dec 28, 2022 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 5/5 stars   247Sports: 5/5 stars   ESPN: 5/5 stars   (91)
Overall recruit ranking:    Rivals: 8    247Sports: 11    ESPN: 13
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved October 9, 2022.

College career

North Carolina

Cadeau with the 2024–25 Tar Heels

Cadeau enrolled at the University of North Carolina in 2023 and was named the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Preseason Freshman of the year.[20] On February 10, 2024, he scored a career-high 19 points with eight assists against Miami. Cadeau finished his freshman season averaging 7.3 points and 4.1 assists per game.[21] He was selected to the ACC All-Freshman Team.[22]

As a sophomore, Cadeau averaged 9.4 points per game and was second in the ACC with 6.2 assists per game.[23] On January 21, 2025, he scored 14 points with a then career-high 13 assists against Wake Forest.[21] On March 25, 2025, Cadeau entered the NCAA transfer portal after starting 68 games in his first two collegiate seasons at North Carolina.[24]

Michigan

On March 31, 2025, Cadeau transferred to the University of Michigan to play for head coach Dusty May.[23] He was named to the preseason Bob Cousy Award watchlist.[25] On November 3 against Oakland, Cadeau led the 2025–26 Wolverines with a career-high 14 assists in his debut; the most in any game for a Wolverine since Mike Smith in 2021.[26] On November 11 against Wake Forest, he followed his debut with 17 points, a career-high eight rebounds, and seven assists.[27] Following the regular season he was an All-Big Ten honorable mention by the media.[28][29] In the 2026 NCAA tournament, he was named to the Midwest All-Region team, leading Michigan to the Final Four. He had at least seven assists in each of the first four games of the tournament and surpassed 1,000 career points in the process.[30][31] After Michigan won the 2026 national championship, Cadeau was named the NCAA tournament's Most Outstanding Player.[32]

National team career

Junior teams

Cadeau played a tournament in Sweden with his middle school team and caught the attention of the country's national team coaches when they discovered he had Swedish heritage.[5] He was invited to the national under-15 team training camp and helped the team take first place at the 2019 North Sea Development Basketball Cup held in Denmark,[5][6] averaging 9.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.[33] Cadeau was subsequently called up to the national under-16 team ahead of the 2020 Baltic Sea Basketball Cup held in Estonia,[34] where he helped Sweden win the gold medal.[35]

Cadeau led the national under-18 team to a gold medal at the 2021 Under-18 Nordic Championships.[36] He was unable to repeat this feat at the following year's edition, where Sweden finished fourth.[37] In the opening game against Estonia, Cadeau recorded 40 points, seven rebounds and five steals.[38] He was named the MVP of the tournament.[39]

Cadeau helped Sweden win a gold medal at the 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship Division B in Romania, averaging 21.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game.[40] He recorded 36 points, five rebounds, four assists, and four steals in the championship game victory against Denmark, earning tournament MVP honors.[41]

Senior team

Cadeau in February 2023

Cadeau received his first call-up to the senior national team in November 2021 ahead of a pair of FIBA World Cup qualifiers against Finland and Slovenia.[3] Being that he was only 17 years old, he called the decision completely unexpected.[3]

Cadeau made his senior debut on 24 February 2023 against Germany in a 2023 World Cup qualifying game in Frankfurt,[42] and he recorded four points and one steal in seven minutes of play.[43]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023–24 North Carolina 37 31 23.8 .417 .189 .648 2.2 4.1 0.8 0.1 7.3
2024–25 North Carolina 37 37 27.8 .445 .337 .670 2.9 6.2 1.1 0.3 9.4
2025–26 Michigan 40 40 27.3 .411 .376 .709 2.7 5.9 0.9 0.2 10.5
Career 114 108 26.3 .424 .333 .679 2.6 5.4 0.9 0.2 9.1

Personal life

Cadeau comes from an athletic family. His father was an avid tennis player while his older brother, Justin, played college tennis at Howard.[7][44] Cadeau also has congenital hearing loss and is deaf in his right ear.[45]

Social media and endorsements

On January 1, 2022, Cadeau became the first high school basketball player to sign with Roc Nation Sports for Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) representation.[46]

In April 2022, he signed an endorsement deal with Swedish vitamin drink Vitamin Well, becoming the first American high school athlete to sign an international NIL deal.[2] He also has deals with Leaf Trading Cards, Wilson Sporting Goods and Swedish company Flowlife.[2] In addition, he has his own clothing line called Elliot Cadeau Wear.[2]

See also

  • Michigan Wolverines men's basketball statistical leaders
  • North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball statistical leaders

References

  1. ^ a b Gardner, David (June 21, 2022). "'Jersey Is Taking Over': N.J. Hoopers Outshine the Shadow of New York". The New York Times. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Zagoria, Adam (April 27, 2022). "N.J.'s Elliot Cadeau becomes 1st American high school athlete to sign international NIL deal, will earn 5 figures". NJ.com. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "17-åring stora skrällen i basketens VM-kvaltrupp". SVT.se (in Swedish). November 2, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  4. ^ Phillips Margulis, Elise (August 1, 2021). "16-Year-Old West Orange Basketball Player Is ESPN's Number 1 Point Guard in the Country". TAPinto West Orange. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Roberts, Mike (June 14, 2022). "No. 1 PG Elliot Cadeau making most of basketball platform". BVM Sports. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Cadeau leads National Swedish Basketball team". Essex News Daily. August 28, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Cooper, Darren (March 14, 2022). "As Bergen Catholic basketball enters the TOC, the next big superstar waits in the wings". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  8. ^ Gould, Brandon (December 15, 2021). "Top boys basketball players to watch in the Big North Conference". NJ.com. Retrieved October 9, 2022.(subscription required)
  9. ^ Del Priore, Jerry (August 15, 2021). "West Orange's Elliot Cadeau Takes Basketball Life, National Ranking in Stride". My Paper Online. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  10. ^ Divens, Jordan (April 16, 2021). "2020-21 MaxPreps Freshman All-America Team: Derik Queen headlines high school basketball's best from the Class of 2024". MaxPreps. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  11. ^ Wheeler, Wyatt D. (June 10, 2022). "Link Academy adds Elliot Cadeau, a 5-star point guard ranked Top 10 in the country". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  12. ^ "Nike EYBL Session I: All-Event Teams + Podcast". The Season Ticket. July 21, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  13. ^ The Circuit [@TheCircuit] (July 26, 2022). "Nike EYBL Peach Jam: 3rd Team Elliot Cadeau // New Heights Lightning (NY) STATS: 10.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 6.5 APG, 1.3 SPG" (Tweet). Retrieved October 10, 2022 – via Twitter.
  14. ^ Jordan, Jason (September 22, 2022). "Elliot Cadeau's Stock Trending Upward After Dominant Summer". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  15. ^ Geoghegan, Zack (June 1, 2022). "Top-ranked '24 PG Elliot Cadeau "definitely" wants to hear more from Kentucky". On3.com. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  16. ^ Bossi, Eric (June 11, 2022). "2024's top point guard Elliot Cadeau sets first official visit". 247Sports. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  17. ^ McMillan, Sherrell (October 6, 2022). "UNC Official Visit Preview: Elliot Cadeau". 247Sports. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  18. ^ Borzello, Jeff; Biancardi, Paul (December 28, 2022). "North Carolina lands 5-star Elliot Cadeau, No. 2 PG in 2024". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  19. ^ Parrish, Gary (May 30, 2023). "College basketball rankings: Elliot Cadeau reclassifies to 2023, puts North Carolina in early Top 25 And 1". CBS Sports. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  20. ^ "Duke Selected as Preseason ACC Men's Basketball Favorite". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. October 26, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  21. ^ a b "Elliot Cadeau Game Log". Sports Reference. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
  22. ^ "UNC's RJ Davis Leads ACC Men's Basketball 2023-24 Season Honors". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  23. ^ a b London, Dushawn (March 31, 2025). "UNC transfer PG Elliot Cadeau commits to Michigan". 247Sports. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  24. ^ Borzello, Jeff (March 25, 2025). "North Carolina guard Elliot Cadeau enters transfer portal". ESPN. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  25. ^ "NAISMITH BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES PRESEASON WATCH LIST FOR THE 2026 MEN'S AND WOMEN'S POINT GUARD OF THE YEAR AWARDS". www.hoophall.com. October 27, 2025. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  26. ^ Garcia, Tony (November 3, 2025). "Michigan basketball shoots the lights out in 121-78 season-opening win over Oakland". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  27. ^ "Michigan v. Wake Forest". ESPN.com. November 11, 2025. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  28. ^ Wywrot, Tom (March 10, 2026). "Lendeborg Earns Big Ten Player of the Year as U-M Hauls 15 All-Conference Honors". University of Michigan Athletics. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  29. ^ "Big Ten Announces 2026 Men's Basketball Postseason Honors". Big Ten Conference. March 10, 2026. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  30. ^ Knoop, Trent (March 29, 2026). "Three Michigan Basketball Players on Midwest All-Region Team After Elite 8 Victory". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  31. ^ Wywrot, Tom (March 29, 2026). "Michigan Trounces Vols to Punch Ticket to Final Four". MGoBlue.com. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  32. ^ Luezzi, John (April 6, 2026). "Who won Most Outstanding Player for March Madness? Elliot Cadeau wins award". USA Today. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  33. ^ "Elliot Cadeau - Spelare" (in Swedish). Swedish Basketball Federation. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  34. ^ "Ungdomslandslagens trupper till Baltic Sea Basketball Cup uttagna". Via TT (in Swedish). December 6, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  35. ^ "Sweden played agressive [sic] and won the gold against Finland". Baltic Sea Basketball Cup. January 6, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  36. ^ "Turnering" (in Swedish). Swedish Basketball Federation. Archived from the original on October 8, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  37. ^ "NM-GULD FÖR DU18 & HU16" (in Swedish). Basketslandslaget. July 5, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  38. ^ "Eesti noormehed alustasid Põhjamaade meistrivõistlusi kaotustega Rootsi vastu" (in Estonian). Estonian Basketball Association. June 29, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  39. ^ "U18-pojat Pohjoismaiden mestareiksi – tytöille hopeaa" (in Finnish). Basketball Finland. July 3, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  40. ^ "Cadeau collects MVP award to lead All-Star Five". FIBA. August 7, 2022. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  41. ^ Zagoria, Adam (August 12, 2022). "Elliot Cadeau talks U18 European MVP honors, latest on recruiting, potential reclass". Zagsblog. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  42. ^ "Germany v Sweden boxscore - FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers - 24 February". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  43. ^ "Rising teen star Cadeau takes the leap to Sweden's senior side". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  44. ^ "Justin Cadeau - Men's Tennis". Howard Bison. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  45. ^ "17-åriga basketlöftet vill ta Sverige till OS". SVT.se (in Swedish). November 22, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  46. ^ Tipton, Joe (February 11, 2022). "2024 PG Elliot Cadeau talks dream school, NIL, & giving back". On3.com. Retrieved October 8, 2022.