The Geico Nationals is the premier high school basketball showcase in the country each year as the nation’s top prep academies meet to determine a national champion. Two Tar Heel commits, 2024 5✮ PG Elliot Cadeau and 2023 4✮ PF Zayden High, were amongst those who competed in the prospect-ladened event that took place at Florida Southwestern College in Fort Myers, FL. The two were part of squads that made runs to the finals and they collided on Saturday. Cadeau and his Link Academy squad used a dominant start to the second half in Saturday's final to pull away from High’s Arizona Compass Prep squad to take home the title.
Saturday’s title game was the conclusion to a tremendous tournament for Cadeau. It started on Thursday night in a game that had many Tar Heel fans drawing comparisons to Kendall Marshall and even Ed Cota. Cadeau didn’t score until late in the final quarter, but he was simply outstanding in every other area of the game helping lead Link Academy past fellow powerhouse St. Paul VI. He dished out a tournament-high 14 assists, ripped down seven rebounds and recorded three steals. As ESPN analyst Paul Biancardi said of him throughout the three days, Cadeau can affect the game in so many ways even without scoring.
Friday’s semifinal upset of Sunrise Christian showed us a different side of Cadeau. While he dished out ten more assists, he was able to show his scoring touch as well. He dropped 16 points on 6-13 shooting, scoring ten of those in the first half, helping Link Academy establish a big early cushion. His 24 assists through the first two games of the tournament were the most through two games in the tournament’s history and put him on pace to break the record for one tournament overall.
Saturday’s final was probably the worst of the three games for him, but he still played a big factor in the championship victory. He played just 20 minutes due to foul trouble but he handed out five more assists to set the tournament record with 29 and added 11 points on 4-9 shooting. Most importantly, he held on to the ball incredibly well, finishing without a turnover after turning the ball over twelve times in the first two games of the tournament.
Cadeau’s performances showcased just how complete of a player he already is and has some dreaming of a reclassification that brings him to Chapel Hill for this coming season. He downplayed the idea of reclassification, though, in the postgame after the final when he was asked about it, saying “as of right now, 2024, I will see you guys in Chapel Hill”. This certainly doesn’t sound encouraging for those wanting him to reclass, but one has to wonder how aggressive the Tar Heel staff has been trying to convince him to do so. After this tournament showing, the staff should be pushing for him to join the team next season for what will be a crucial season for Hubert Davis and the program.
As for the High, he had a relatively quiet week. He failed to score a field goal in the first two games of the tournament and wasn’t nearly the force on the glass that he was during his most successful stretch of the season. The injury that cost him the final few games of the regular season certainly played a role in his struggles, but Tar Heel fans need to realize that this is a guy who is going to take some time to make an impact at the collegiate level.