Michigan insider clarifies the most exciting aspect of Elliot Cadeau’s return to the Wolverines originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
It was always going to be the Michigan Wolverines for Elliot Cadeau, whose return to Ann Arbor was made official on Saturday. Following a national championship March Madness run, Wolverines head basketball coach Dusty May is bringing back most of the team’s still-eligible title pieces besides Winters Grady and Malick Kordel.
The best part about Cadeau’s return to the Maize and Blue? As Michigan Insider’s Alejandro Zuniga revealed, Cadeau’s never wavered in his belief that there is unfinished business on the hardwood.
“News of Cadeau's return comes as no surprise; the point guard had previously indicated his intention to play for Dusty May and the Wolverines in 2026-27. He then entered the NBA Draft process while maintaining his collegiate eligibility and withdrew ahead of the May 27 deadline,” Zuniga wrote.
“Even as he got feedback from NBA scouts, Cadeau has continued to prepare for his final year in Ann Arbor. As assistant Akeem Miskdeen said earlier this month, the point guard's feedback helped as the U-M coaching staff pursued Transfer Portal targets after losing Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg to the NBA, plus the expected departures of Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara.”
Elliot Cadeau is the true mark of Dusty May’s excellence
Cadeau is May’s greatest success story, and it’s not particularly close.
Most would assume Yaxel Lendeborg was May’s greatest achievement after leading the Wolverines in scoring and having the most overwhelmingly dominant presence on the floor. Lendeborg was a star with the UAB Blazers, though, and most familiar with his game knew he’d be a star at any Power 4 program.
Cadeau was labeled a bust for his time with the North Carolina Tar Heels, having shot 19% (10/53) from the three-point line as a freshman. His shooting improved to 33% by his sophomore season, but the West Orange, New Jersey, native shot 38% on three attempts per game by the time his first season at Michigan was done. Better yet, as a distributor, he had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.45. At six-foot-one, Cadeau only has NBA value with that kind of table-setting.
The 2026 NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player just set the table for a title. Luckily, he’s not done. Saturday was just the confirmation of what had been an open secret in “The Great Lakes State” since the confetti was cleaned up a little over a month ago.
