Elliot Cadeau's Transformation from UNC Bust to Michigan Hero was Title Catalyst

A year ago, Elliot Cadeau was a punch line in college basketball circles.

He was intentionally left open by teams, couldn’t shoot, and was turnover prone. After two seasons at North Carolian he was labeled a bust until Dusty May got his hands on him at Michigan.

Now, he’s the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four and a National Champion.

“Last year I was really down on myself,” Cadeau explained on Monday night after the 69-63 victory over UConn. “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 was the biggest difference maker for the Wolverines with a game-high 19 points, three rebounds, and two assists on 5-of-11 shooting and 8-of-9 from the free throw line. When Michigan needed a basket or a big play to be made, they put the ball in his hands and he delivered every time.

“We had seen him in prep ranks, and we had seen him in high school ranks, and we felt like we needed a quarterback, a pass-first quarterback on the floor at all times,” Dusty May explained.

“Once we got him, we were able to sell him.”

Yet it was Elliot Cadeau’s former assistant coach at North Carolina, Sean May, who help the Michigan staff get a clear evaluation on him and know he was going to be a difference maker.

“He gave me all the intel and everything on the background,” the Michigan head coach added on Sean May, who he coached in AAU basketball.

“I just said, let me ask you one question: ‘Would 17-, 18-year-old Sean May, who was a McDonald's All-American, NBA player, would he want to play with Elliot Cadeau?’ And he said an expletive, yeah, absolutely, let's go, and I said, that's all I need to know because Sean is one of the smartest, best players I've ever been around.”

This year he averaged 10.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game on 42.4-percent shooting and a career-high 37.6-percent from 3-point range. In the NCAA Tournament, he went for 12.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.

“I valued his opinion that much, so that was a stamp on the intangibles and whether I thought we could win this with him because on film it was there,” May added.

“He's a savant. He's brilliant. He's made us better coaches, and hopefully we've helped him become a better player.”

No longer is Elliot Cadeau looked at like a bust. He’s now a star, a champion, and a Michigan legend.