Elliot Cadeau was born in Brooklyn, however he doesn’t have any recollections of residing within the borough. When he was 3 months previous, his mother and father packed up their possessions, strapped him into his automotive seat and decamped to New Jersey.
Rising up in West Orange, Cadeau grew to become a Jets fan. His mom, who’s from Sweden, and his father, who’s from Haiti, had a tough time understanding the recognition of American skilled soccer, however they indulged their son’s obsession — to a degree. He was allowed to color his room within the Jets’ colours of inexperienced and white, however he wasn’t allowed to play the game. His mom thought it could be too harmful. As a substitute, she instructed that her 7-year-old son check out for a basketball staff.
Ten years later, Cadeau is a star at Bergen Catholic Excessive College and a top-10 recruit within the class of 2024. And he’s a part of an elite group of New Jersey highschool basketball gamers who could also be among the many greatest contingent of expertise the state has ever produced.
Along with Cadeau — the No. 7 participant within the nation, in accordance with the composite rankings of the recruiting web site 247 Sports activities — the sophomore class contains: No. 1 Naasir Cunningham (Time beyond regulation Elite), No. 33 Dylan Harper (Don Bosco Prep) and No. 42 Tahaad Pettiford (Hudson Catholic). And the juniors a yr forward of Cadeau & Co. embrace: No. 1 Dajuan Wagner Jr., who goes by DJ (Camden Excessive College), No. 3 Mackenzie Mgbako (Gill St. Bernard’s), No. 12 Simeon Wilcher (Roselle Catholic), No. 20 Aaron Bradshaw (Camden) and No. 48 Akil Watson (Roselle Catholic).
“It’s been a great time to grow up playing basketball in New Jersey,” Cadeau stated. “The competition and friendship among elite players here is unlike anywhere else. I don’t feel like there’s another state right now that can compete with New Jersey in terms of basketball talent.”
Though New Jersey was dwelling to among the recreation’s all-time greats — together with Shaquille O’Neal and Rick Barry — traditionally it has struggled to flee New York’s basketball shadow. Within the N.B.A.’s 76 years, 419 gamers have hailed from New York, in comparison with simply 146 from New Jersey, in accordance with Basketball Reference. And on the rosters for the 2021-22 season, the disparity was simply as sharp: There have been 33 New Yorkers in comparison with simply 12 New Jerseyites. However within the lessons of 2023 and 2024, New Jersey has 10 top-50 recruits in comparison with simply two from New York.
“I don’t want to disrespect anybody,” stated Billy Armstrong, who graduated from Bergen Catholic in 1994 and now coaches Cadeau. “But when I played here, the talent wasn’t nearly at the level it is now, that’s for sure. This is my 11th year as varsity coach, and I can say that in the last four or five years, the talent has really taken off. There’s this pride here when New Jersey is in the conversation as the best basketball state in the entire country.”
Armstrong additionally performed collegiate basketball at Davidson and professionally abroad. He pointed to the tenacity and toughness it takes to stay in main metropolitan areas within the Northeast as a part of the rationale a lot expertise has emerged in his dwelling state. He additionally thinks there’s a momentum impact in play. Gamers like Karl-Anthony Cities and Kyrie Irving have given youngsters rising up within the Backyard State some New Jersey-born stars to look as much as. And people younger gamers have competed towards one another for years, strengthening one another’s video games and serving to them get observed by recruiting companies and faculty coaches.
Since 247’s first rankings have been launched a yr and a half in the past, DJ Wagner has been thought-about the No. 1 participant within the Class of 2023. The son of the previous N.B.A. participant Dajuan Wagner, DJ is a extremely expert combo guard. His recreation, and the eye round his recruiting, has given his teammates a leg up. Bradshaw, who performs with Wagner at Camden and on their Novice Athletic Union staff, the New Jersey Students, began off as a 3-star recruit. He’s now a 5-star, with presents from blue chip applications like Kentucky, Michigan and U.C.L.A.
“These kids have been playing with and against each other for a long time,” Students Coach Jason Harrigan stated. “And when you get a really special kid in a class — a kid like DJ — his competitiveness rubs off on everyone. He helps raise the level of play for the entire class, and they help him to elevate his game, too.”
The expertise stage, mixed with the current rest of guidelines that enable faculty and highschool athletes to earn sponsorship cash, has led to distinctive alternatives for a lot of gamers within the state. Cadeau, who has twin citizenship and performs for the Swedish nationwide staff, is represented by Roc Nation and already has a five-figure endorsement via what is called a reputation, picture and likeness deal, or N.I.L. And Cunningham, the No. 1 participant in 2024, lately signed with Time beyond regulation Elite, a prestigious professional-development program in Atlanta. He grew to become the primary participant to signal with this system with out taking a wage, preserving his collegiate eligibility.
“Growing up in New Jersey, every kid is dreaming of getting to the pros,” Cunningham stated. “When I was little, I didn’t even know what college basketball was. I was just thinking N.B.A., N.B.A., N.B.A. But as I got older, I started thinking more about going to college. With OTE, I get pro training and education, and I get to keep my options open. Plus, I can still make money with N.I.L.”
New Jersey’s coaches, in fact, choose that gamers stay near dwelling. And so they say that N.I.L. helps them persuade gamers to remain at their highschool for all 4 years.
“These players take pride in New Jersey,” stated Dave Boff, who coaches Wilcher and Watson at Roselle Catholic. “The fans look forward to having a player who rises the ranks from his freshman to his senior seasons. And the players get to take advantage of the opportunities their talent affords while still being able to sleep in their own bed.”
When he talks to school coaches about what makes this crop of New Jersey basketball prospects so coveted, Boff persistently hears one theme: toughness.
“The college coaches see that New Jersey guys have confidence, they have swagger, and they aren’t afraid of physical basketball,” Boff stated. “When we travel to national games, our players are always surprised by the ticky-tack foul calls. In New Jersey, the refs let our guys beat each other up a little bit, and our guys welcome that. They know they’re making each other better.”
For Cunningham, leaving dwelling wasn’t a simple resolution, however he hopes to make it just a little simpler by recruiting another gamers from New Jersey to hitch him in Atlanta. In spite of everything, each one among these gamers hopes to leap to an even bigger stage — be it faculty basketball or OTE or the N.B.A. — in the end.
“Jersey is taking over,” Cunningham stated. “Everywhere you look in New Jersey, there’s a high-level basketball player. And soon, we’re going to be all over the country. For us, it’s about showing what our state is all about and making sure it continues the success into the future. It’s not pressure. It’s motivation.”
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