Incoming Rebel Edoardo Del Cadia all about assisting teammates

Image

Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau

The UNLV Rebels play the Air Force Falcons during their NCAA Mountain West Conference basketball game Saturday, January 4, 2020 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Sun, May 31, 2020 (2 a.m.)

Edoardo Del Cadia is on a mission to make life easier for his UNLV teammates.

The 6-foot-7 native of Italy will be joining the Runnin’ Rebels for the 2020-21 season, and his diverse offensive talents should allow him to contribute in a number of ways.

Though he’s nominally a power forward, Del Cadia’s overall skill set is impressive.

“I’m a versatile 4,” Del Cadia said. “I can put the ball on the floor, I can shoot the ball, I can set good screens. I can do a lot of good stuff.”

That’s exactly what UNLV needs in the frontcourt. The team’s forwards and centers combined to shoot 26.8 percent from 3-point range last season (34 of 127) while averaging 1.5 assists per 40 minutes. As a sophomore at the College of Central Florida last year, Del Cadia connected on 37.7 percent of his 3’s and averaged 2.3 assists per 40 on his own.

For the season, Del Cadia posted 13.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per game while shooting 48.3 percent from the field.

That skill level is what attracted UNLV to Del Cadia over the winter. Del Cadia said an assistant at Central Florida tipped off Rebels assistant DeMarlo Slocum, and once Slocum and the staff started watching him play, an offer soon followed.

“I was really excited when UNLV came,” Del Cadia said. “I know a lot of stuff [about UNLV] because my dad always told me about Larry Johnson. I’m an old-school guy.”

The Rebels of old were known for their open-court prowess, which is something Del Cadia believes he can strengthen with his feel for ball-handling and his ability to run the floor.

“I feel like we can be a fast team next year because we have a lot of good guards who can push the ball and I like to run in transition, so if you hit me when I’m running it’s good. I can run pretty fast for a big, so I can run the break, too. Point guards don’t need to always get the ball. We can just run after the rebound. We don’t have to wait for the defense to set up.”

In the Rebels' set offense, Del Cadia’s passing touch can alleviate some of the pressure on the backcourt.

“I make it kind of easy for the point guard,” Del Cadia said, “because they have a big that can pass the ball, too, and they know I’m going to move. It’s easy to play like that.”

Del Cadia’s transition game is strong as well, on and off the court.

During the pandemic, Del Cadia has made it a point to help his teammates acclimate to college. Several incoming Rebels have cited him as the most vocal of the newcomers and the most consistent presence via text and video chat.

That’s not by accident. Del Cadia said he is consciously opening up to his teammates in order to bring the group closer together.

“We do a lot of stuff with UNLV, actually,” Del Cadia said. “Everybody knows what they’re doing already. Everybody’s on the same page. That’s what I like.”

Whether it’s setting a good screen or setting a good example on Zoom, Del Cadia seems determined to help his teammates any way he can.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

Back to top

SHARE

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy