North Carolina’s sophomore guard Elliot Cadeau appears to have made an impressive leap in his second year of collegiate play. While he is a smaller guard at 6-foot-1, his offensive feel and playmaking ability have been two of the most impressive aspects of the Tar Heels’ roster. In a draft class that has looked loaded up to this point, the door could still be wide open for Cadeau to work his way onto teams’ draft boards, despite an underwhelming freshman season. Let’s take a look at his areas of improvement so far this season and why he could be one of the best table-setters in this class.

In his freshman season, Cadeau struggled to find ways to make a consistent impact, with averages of seven points, two rebounds and four assists on shooting splits of 41.7%/18.9%/64.8%. He was a highly touted recruit, so these struggles were disappointing, but so far this season, he has shown why colleges were so high on him by making drastic leaps in every category. Through North Carolina’s first three games this season, he is averaging 15.7 points, three rebounds, 7.7 assists and 2.7 steals on much more efficient shooting: 48.1% from the field, 40% from three and 73.9% on free throws. While these numbers come from a small sample size, his seamless fit and consistent aggressiveness offer hope that this could be a season-long leap.

Cadeau’s passing has stood out the most; he has recorded eight assists twice against weaker teams, along with seven assists in a 92-89 loss to No. 1 Kansas. He navigates pick-and-rolls at an elite level but also shows the ability to find teammates off touch passes while the ball is swinging along the perimeter. It’s clear that he is at his best when putting the ball on the floor, and this is also true for his scoring.

He looks much more confident this season when taking jump shots, as his form is clean and smooth on pull-ups. Last season, he seemed hesitant at times, and overthinking hurt not only his productivity but the Tar Heels’ offense as well. While North Carolina has several legitimate scoring options on the team, his ability to be their third-leading scorer at this point has been very impressive.

On the defensive side of the ball, Cadeau leads the Tar Heels in steals with 2.7 per game, while the second-highest average is 1.0. He is showing a much higher motor than last season and does not hesitate to take calculated risks in passing lanes. While his size will likely be a concern for defending at the next level, continuing to be a pest both on and off the ball should allow him to remain impactful against higher levels of competition.

These first three games surely won’t tell the whole story ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft, but it’s undeniable that he has looked like a much better prospect in his second season for North Carolina. It’s not a foregone conclusion that he will leave after this year, but he has an opportunity to continue expanding his game as the season progresses, which could help highlight how valuable he can be in running an offense.

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ASHEVILLE — The North Carolina Arboretum had just more than six weeks after Tropical Storm Helene wreaked havoc and downed thousands of trees on its 434-acre campus to try and pull off its biggest annual fundraiser, Winter Lights, but the team pulled it off.

Though there was some uncertainty whether the event would take place this year after Helene, Winter Lights opened Nov. 15, one of Western North Carolina’s first signal of a return to the traditions and routines families took part in prior to Helene’s floods Sept. 27.

According to Drake Fowler, the North Carolina Arboretum’s executive director, when the Arboretum team made it back to the site to assess the damage, there were roughly 600 downed trees near the entrance alone.

“Two days after the storm, horticulture showed up and basically with chainsaws, they cut into our property,” Fowler said. “The first thing they did was clear Wesley Branch Road, which was pretty much blocked. The community was out cheering them on, and that allowed supplies to get in to us.”

In all, Fowler and the Arboretum team estimate there are roughly 10,000 downed trees throughout the property.

Return of Winter Lights ‘a huge milestone’ for Arboretum

Due to the extensive damage, Fowler said staff wondered whether Winter Lights would be able to go on.

“There was definitely some doubt whether we were going to even have a chance at a show,” Fowler said. “But with the Army Corps’ help, and with just our staff, we repurposed staff and people that normally do not hang Christmas lights were hanging Christmas lights to make it happen. So, it’s a huge milestone for our organization.”

Fowler said the Arboretum staff typically begins preparing for Winter Lights the first week of September, but Helene forced the team to start over again, having only six weeks of prep time, compared to the usual 10 to 12 weeks.

Winter Lights accounts for 25% of the nonprofit organization’s operating income, Fowler said.

“So, in a way, we had to have the show move forward.”

Winter Lights is in its 11th season and will run through Dec. 31.

Winter Lights is a walk-through experience in and around the gardens and admission is per vehicle. Tickets are $40 per vehicle. According to the Arboretum, 428 tickets were sold Saturday night, with about three to four people per vehicle.

Fowler said Winter Lights is an important tradition for a lot of families during the holidays, and affords people an opportunity to participate in customs that feel familiar, even if this year may feel different than years past.

“I think just not having one other thing cancelled was a great relief to a lot of people in the community,” he said. “There’s certain things that just aren’t open. It’s an outdoor walking show, it feels good to be outside and be with other people in an area that just kind of feels normal.

“A big part of our emphasis is, ‘Let’s make this a joyful event.’ For the most part, we just want it to be an escape, a place to feel normal and celebrate the holidays.”

That’s exactly what Saturday night’s show was for hundreds of visitors. Under a full moon, kids squealed at thousand-light displays and ran through sparkling tunnels.

Below a shining Christmas tree, Jessica Shelton sat with her daughter Reese, who sipped hot chocolate. Shelton and her husband brought their three kids to the Arboretum to celebrate their six-year-old son’s birthday.

“It’s just nice to have a little joy after all the area has experienced,” said Shelton, who said their home did not sustain damage from Helene.

Nearby, visitors wrote down their wishes for the holiday on paper and hung them like ornaments on small fir trees.

Be kind. Play soccer. Have Fun. one read. Another wish: PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE OF WNC.

The Arboretum staff has been intentional about incorporating the experience of Helene into this year’s Winter Lights event.

“We had these beautiful Lacebark Elms that came down in the hurricane, and we’ve left them as basically like a tribute, and we’ve lit them with white light for hope,” Fowler said. “Our staff took some of the debris, and there’s a great photo opportunity that says, ‘Our roots run deep,’ and there’s a big heart made out of the wood rounds that we’ve collected.”

Beginning Oct. 28, the Arboretum welcomed guests back to the main gardens, its Education Center and Baker Exhibit Center. 

Winter Lights allows guests to walk through gardens once again

While trails remain closed, Winter Lights offers attendees the opportunity to take part in a walking tour of the gardens, though.

This year’s Winter Lights theme is the four seasons.

“The sub-theme is that this area is strong and resilient, and we’re moving forward,” the executive director said.

According to Fowler, part of the show is typically focused on nature and seeing the gardens in a new light.

“We try to make the show really artful,” Fowler said. “There are some traditional elements, but a lot of times we’re trying to do new things and just bring different kinds of colors that you wouldn’t typically see in a holiday show.”

Families impacted, displaced by Helene are honored

Additionally, Winter Lights has rolled out a program to honor local families impacted or displaced by Helene, Share the Wonder.

“For folks who are out of town, or for people who are here and maybe want to pay it forward, you can buy tickets and we’re working with local nonprofits to get those to families that were impacted by Helene,” Fowler said.

“So, you can buy a ticket for some family that wouldn’t normally be able to come, or who has been displaced. For staff to figure out all the logistics out and the IT behind it, and come up with a great name, it’s just really fantastic.”

As Saturday night went on, volunteer and “fire rover” Jim Sparks sat by one fire pit watching the crowd.

“I’m amazed that this looks as good as it does, given how bad things are and have been,” said Sparks, who has volunteered at the event with his wife the last three years.

Their reason for coming back and volunteering?

“Because we’re grandparents, and our grandkids are in Boston,” he said. Winter Lights at the Arboretum — and church — he said, are the places filled with families that remind them of their own.

Bridget Fogarty is a journalist with the USA TODAY Network reporting for the Asheville Citizen Times in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — – Omarion Hampton posted career highs of 35 carries for 244 yards with a key late touchdown that helped North Carolina beat Wake Forest 31-24 on Saturday night, pushing the Tar Heels to bowl eligibility.

It was the latest huge performance for the Tar Heels’ workhorse back, who cracked the 100-yard rushing mark for the eighth straight game. He found the end zone when he hurdled defenders near the goal line and powering through contact with 2:26 left for a 31-17 lead.

Hampton’s scoring run set his career highs for both carries and rushing yards, along with ultimately sending the Tar Heels (6-4, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) to a third consecutive win. He also moved into fifth on UNC’s all-time rushing list with 3,327 yards, passing both Don McCauley and Kelvin Bryant.

“He’s tough, he takes care of the ball, he protects in the passing game,” UNC coach Mack Brown said. “He’s very humble. He never asks for the ball. I guess you don’t have to when you get it 35 times. But he usually makes the plays when he has to to help us win the game.”

Jacolby Criswell ran and threw for touchdowns for UNC, while linebacker Power Echols had a leaping snag for an interception and returned it 42 yards for third-quarter touchdown.

Demond Claiborne ran for 95 yards and two touchdowns for the Demon Deacons (4-6, 2-4), who arrived for the latest meeting in this long-running instate matchup with a 3-0 road record. But Wake Forest lost three turnovers, the last being a fumble by Michael Kern on a strip-sack by Joshua Harris deep in its own end with 5:08 left to set up Hampton’s score.

“At times I don’t think we’ve grasped the details of what it takes to win a game like that,” Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said. “It’s all said and done, and the yardage is equal, the third downs are equal and the red-zone deals are equal. And it all comes down to those three turnovers we had that were absolute killers.”

Kern threw for 172 yards with one TD and two interceptions after taking over for starter Hank Bachmeier, who was knocked from the game with an apparent upper-body injury early in the third.

Kern hit Taylor Morin for a 40-yard shot down the seam late then found him again from 16 yards in the back of the end zone with 75 seconds left to keep hope alive, but the Tar Heels recovered the ensuing kick to kill the remaining time.

The takeaway

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons arrived needing two wins to reach bowl eligibility and aiming to stay perfect on the road after wins at N.C. State, Connecticut and Stanford. They were within reach on this one, twice closing 14-point deficits to one-possession games, only to come up short.

UNC: The Tar Heels have turned things around from a four-game skid that included giving up 70 points in a loss to James Madison on Sept. 21, as well as the emotional blow from the death of teammate Tylee Craft due to cancer. It’s why Brown said his team had been in “such a hole” before emerging from an open week with lopsided road wins against Virginia and Florida State while racking up 17 sacks, and now pushing through this one.

Bachmeier’s injury

Clawson said that Bachmeier injured his left shoulder after being taken down on a running play, but he was well enough to return to the game. But the team had put in numerous QB running plays and decided to stick with Kern.

Up next

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons hit the road one last time when they visit No. 12 Miami next Saturday before returning home to close the regular season against instate foe Duke.

UNC: The Tar Heels play their final road game when they visit Boston College next Saturday, then return home to close against rival N.C. State.

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