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Mom Knew: UNC Basketball Rookie Practices 'Like Life Depends on It'
Five-star UNC basketball guard Elliot Cadeau is among a few top candidates for ACC Rookie of the Year. One possible way to separate himself from that crowd, including five-star Duke basketball guards Jared McCain and Caleb Foster, is for Cadeau to continue heeding his mother's advice regarding practice (more on that in a second).
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The program posted the Cadeau-themed practice highlight below on Thursday night, showing off the 6-foot-1, 180-pound ballhawk's impressive bark and bite as a relentless disruptor on defense.
First, listen to his growl, presumably intended to rev himself up and give his opponents real-time nightmares. Then check out his ridiculous reflexes in appearing out of nowhere to create a loose ball before putting his body on the line to save it from going out of bounds:
Again, this is only practice.
It's safe to say Elliot Cadeau, a New Jersey native who finished No. 11 on the 247Sports 2023 Composite after announcing his reclass from 2024 in late May, is making a loudly positive early impression on his teammates and coaches in Chapel Hill.
And looking at Michelle Cadeau's reaction to the highlight in her quote-repost, it's clear she expected nothing less than this supreme level of grit from her son:
Yes, as she implies, the 19-year-old is putting into action her words of wisdom "like [his] life depends on it."
As a result, third-year UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis might have no choice but to make the poised offensive playmaker and determined defensive tone-setter the Tar Heels' starting floor general from the get-go.
Elliot Cadeau and the 2023-24 UNC basketball squad begin their regular season on Nov. 6 when Radford comes to the Dean E. Smith Center.
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Stay tuned to All Tar Heels on SI.com for more UNC basketball news.
