Indianapolis — It’s refreshing, says Elliot Cadeau, to be trusted. Because for too long in his collegiate career he was doubted. Those two years at North Carolina that ended with him all but kicked to the curb by its fanbase, seen as incapable of moments like Monday’s national championship game.
A moment he made happen.
A season-long regenesis ended in glory for Elliot Cadeau in a 69-63 NCAA championship win over UConn. As maize and blue confetti flew across the court at Lucas Oil Stadium, as he cut his piece of the net, and as he paraded around throngs of people hugging the national championship trophy like a teddy bear, Cadeau had reached the top. Not only was he a national champion — he was the most outstanding player of the NCAA Tournament.
“It means the world to me. I’m just so proud of myself, where I came from,” Cadeau said. “Last year I was really down on myself, a lot of people doubted me, and I’m just so proud of myself for me to be able to say I was the most outstanding player and win a national championship at the same time.”
Cadeau finished the national championship game with a team-high 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting, tacking on three rebounds and a pair of assists and steals. In a game UConn tried to turn into a slugfest, he routinely weaved the Wolverines through a slog to come out the other end as national champions.
Most of the season, it has been Cadeau’s teammates receiving the shine of stardom. Yaxel Lendeborg won Big Ten Player of the Year, and Aday Mara its defensive player of the year. Morez Johnson Jr. earned praise night to night with his toughness that made him a bully on the block. Even freshman Trey McKenney got the spotlight with big 3s and clutch performances. And yeah, all those showed up in Indianapolis, too.
But all those pieces needed the glue, the quarterback to tie things together. That’s what Michigan found in Cadeau.
Meanwhile, Cadeau found his second chance to prove he’s the player he could always be.
“I always knew he was capable,” his brother, Justin Cadeau (better known as Saucekill), told The Detroit News as his brother paraded around Lucas Oil Stadium. “You know, he was a champion in high school, played on one of the best teams at AAU. It was only a matter of time for that to translate to college.”
Michigan realized right away that Cadeau could be the one to tie its various pieces together. He was the first addition to its portal class a year ago, before it was the kind of juggernaut that earned cheers equal to jeers.
“We felt like we needed a quarterback, a pass-first quarterback on the floor at all times,” said Michigan coach Dusty May. “… He’s a savant. He’s brilliant. He’s made us better coaches, and hopefully we’ve helped him become a better player.”
And for Cadeau, Michigan offered a fresh start. He’d heard all the criticisms.
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He’d heard those same noises at North Carolina, where he’d been panned for his supposed lack of a shot. Fans used to dog him publicly. His split last spring was mutual.
He’d heard those same noises at North Carolina, where he’d been panned for his supposed lack of a shot. Or his frequent turnovers, and untimely mistakes. Fans used to dog him publicly at a program where every dribble is analyzed under a microscope. His split last spring was largely mutual.
“I feel like there’s been so much critics, so much criticism against me for the past couple of years. I try not to pay attention to it, but I do see it,” Cadeau said, his voice slightly cracking. “I try not to let it affect me and just try to just believe in myself no matter what people say about me.”
Right away, Michigan coaches believed in him. Teammates followed suit. Eventually, so did fans. Cadeau fit in even better than advertised.
“I saw that when he first came in, I’m like, this guy isn’t a bad shooter at all,” said shooting guard Nimari Burnett, who has been starting beside him all season.
May certainly has gotten the most out of Cadeau — “He’s the best coach that I ever played for,” Cadeau said. His cerebral point guard will do anything — whatever it takes — to win. Two days ago against Arizona, he was putting up bricks to get the ball inside to his big men. Monday in the title game, Cadeau pushed the pace himself with penetrating bursts into the paint where his craftiness flashed.
“Unbelievable growth, man,” Michigan assistant coach Justin Joyner said. “Like, I think a lot of people wrote him off after his two years (at UNC), but I think he stayed with it. We stayed with him, and it’s just a great feeling for us as a staff and him as a person. Unbelievable. So happy for him.”
Cadeau was always going to guide this group — that’s what a good point guard does. To Joyner, a tight win Nov. 14 against TCU in front of 6,426 fans set the stage for what happened April 6 in front of 70,720. It’s when he gained consistency, and those gaudy wins started to follow.
Michigan’s biggest threat to the season happened when its backup point guard, L.J. Cason, tore his ACL against Illinois. Right away, May knew he’d have to lean on Cadeau and freshman Trey McKenney to lead him forward. Right away, both proved especially willing — especially Cadeau.
“When L.J. went out, he knew he was gonna have to take kind of a bigger role like myself,” McKenney said, his locker two down from Cadeau’s. “So I think he did a really good job of just balancing creating his own shot and trying to get others involved, and making sure we play to advantages.”
Cadeau said that May had a plan for this talented Michigan roster, and he executed. But what he didn’t say is that he himself was as key as anyone in actually making plans real.
“He believed in me. I believed in him back,” Cadeau said.
It feels good to be believed in. To be trusted to lead, with all the responsibility that entails. For Michigan, there were no other hands than Cadeau’s to guide it. At least that’s how it feels in maize-tinted hindsight, which he can forever look back with.
“His ability to be able to control the tempo of the game and control the pace, and be able to create shots,not only for himself but our team as well,” teammate Roddy Gayle Jr. said. “I got the utmost, utmost respect and trust when Elliot has the ball in his hands.”
And the crazy part of all this is the ball will be. Cadeau already pledged his return for next season, and it’s hard to imagine he changed his mind in that locker room Monday night, when he struggled to put into words just how much this team and his resurgence meant to him.
“I definitely want to do it again next year,” Cadeau said. “I knew we had a group that could do this since day one, since everybody came together. Just looking to my left and right, seeing a dog, basically an NBA player, every time I look to my left, my right. I knew it would be a special group.”
Now, he can look in the mirror.
cearegood@detroitnews.com
@ConnorEaregood
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan’s Elliot Cadeau caps comeback season with MVP honors
Reporting by Connor Earegood, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
