As Bergen Catholic basketball enters the TOC, the next great star awaits in the wings.
All season, folks have watched Bergen Catholic play basketball and said, “Just think if they had their best player.”
The Crusaders have numerous standout players, including Will Richardson, the program’s all-time leading scorer, but they will be missing sophomore point guard Elliot Cadeau for Tuesday’s Tournament of Champions quarterfinal game.
Cadeau suffered a high ankle sprain in a December scrimmage versus Gill St. Bernard’s and attempted to return but was hurt again. He will not play this season.
“Now, we are just taking it as slowly as possible,” Cadeau said Monday afternoon. “I do not want it to linger. I want it done, and I don’t want to return too quickly.”
As a freshman during the shorter Covid season, the West Orange native started at point guard for the Crusaders. His influence was instantaneous.
“He can do everything that the other kids can do and that the fans enjoy,” Bergen Catholic coach Billy Armstrong stated. “He is capable of scoring a lot of points. He is capable of rebounding. Last year, we beat a very talented TPS [The Patrick School] squad, and he only scored six points but dominated the game. He’s excellent at taking command. “He makes everybody’s job easier.”
Cadeau, 17, has begun modest exercise and says he may be ready to jog by the end of the week. He expects to join the summer ball circuit in a few weeks.
In some ways, the 6-foot-1 Cadeau remains somewhat of a mystery in northern New Jersey. Fans were not permitted to attend games last season, and he has yet to play this year. However, if you Google his name, you’ll discover some highlight videos and eye-popping ranks.
He already has many college offers from Tennessee, Oklahoma State, Syracuse, St. John’s, and Seton Hall.
“He plays at a different speed than the other kids,” Armstrong explained. “And he’s a very good child. I don’t want to say this in the wrong manner, but sometimes I get the impression that 5-star students don’t want to be coached. He wants to receive intensive coaching. He asks inquiries. He helps me become a better coach.
Cadeau admires the Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker, Jahvon Quinerly, and De’Aaron Fox, who pass more than they shoot yet always control the game’s flow.
“People always think the shot is the thing to do,” she added. “But a crazy pass is better in my opinion.”
247Sports presently ranks Cadeau as the No. 2 talent in New Jersey for the Class of 2024. He was a part of the Swedish U-18 and U-16 national teams, and he holds dual citizenship through his mother.
The attention might be overpowering, but Cadeau is at the point where it’s still enjoyable.
“I am enjoying it,” he said. “I haven’t been on any visits or anything, so a decision isn’t anywhere close to being made.”
Growing up, Cadeau grew up in an athletic family. His father is an avid tennis player and his older brother, Justin, plays tennis at Howard. The youngster played a lot of different sports, but fell in love with basketball in third grade. He can almost pinpoint the exact moment it all came together for him. Playing with his friends, helping facilitate the game and making everyone better enthralled him. He’s never looked back.
Being hurt has been hard. He hated watching the Crusaders’ sectional semifinal win over St. Peter’s Prep, because it looked like so much fun to play in. But Armstrong praises the way he’s stayed connected to the team.
“It’s not the role he wanted, but he’s been a key figure in our success this year,” Armstrong said. “He’s like an assistant coach on the bench. He’s the first guy to chant defense; he asks me who he would be guarding if he was playing.”
With any high-profile high school athlete, a question of commitment must be asked. Cadeau says without hesitation that he plans on staying at Bergen Catholic for four years. Missing basically his first two seasons has made him hungry to show what he can do.
Cadeau says he can’t do anything but work hard. He tries to eat right, sleep right, and do all the little things to give him an edge.
“I definitely realize from this injury that basketball is my life,” Cadeau said. “I want to play basketball for as long as I can, whether that’s the NBA or overseas. I want to make a good living and do this for the rest of my life.”
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