Jean Rony Cadot

Jean Rony Cadot (May 7, 1987) is a Bahamian professional basketball player who last played for Real Canoe of the LEB Plata in Spain. A native of Nassau, he was a standout at Sheridan College and TCU, earning third-team All-Mountain West Conference accolades as a senior. Cadot has played professionally in several countries, with teams in Ecuador, Iceland, and Slovakia. He has played for the Bahamas national team on multiple occasions.

Early life and high school Cadot was born in Nassau, Bahamas to Mary Cadot and Michelet Thomas and grew up with two sisters, Renee and Melani, and three brothers, Tony, Jimmy and Michael. Cadot started playing basketball in ninth grade and played for C. V. Bethel Senior High School in Nassau. In his junior season, he led the team to a high school championship and was named most valuable player (MVP) of the title game after erupting for 36 points, 12 rebounds and 3 steals.

College career After high school, Cadot hoped to continue his career by playing college basketball in the United States. He initially competed for a junior college for academic reasons. Cadot started his freshman season in 2008–09 at Sheridan College in Sheridan, Wyoming, averaging 15 points and 6.6 rebounds in 23 games.

Before the 2010–11 season, Cadot transferred to TCU and was praised by head coach Jim Christian for his athleticism, attitude, and defense. As a senior, he averaged 11.4 points, 7 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, garnering third-team All-Mountain West Conference recognition. Cadot left TCU with the second-best career field goal percentage in school history, at 56.6 percent. On August 27, 2012, he signed a one-year deal with SPU Nitra of the Slovak Extraliga. Through 26 games, Cadot averaged 16.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. In February 2013, Cadot was assaulted outside a nightclub in Nitra by a group of six people who were allegedly shouting racist curses. After the incident, which began after someone spilled their drink on Cadot's pants, he had to undergo eye surgery but was reportedly followed to the hospital by his assailants. Two men were later charged with rioting, battery, and racial hatred against Cadot.

On March 21, 2014, Cadot signed with the Wellington Saints of the National Basketball League in New Zealand. However, he was cut from the team after the preseason because he "wasn't the right fit." On August 1, 2015, Cadot joined Skallagrímur of the Division I, the second-tier league in Iceland, as a designated import player. On March 18, 2016, he posted a double-double of 29 points and 15 rebounds against Fjölnir. After 28 games, Cadot was averaging 24.1 points, 16.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game, leading Skallagrímur to the playoff title. He earned Eurobasket.com All-Icelandic D1 Player of the Year and Finals MVP honors. He made an immediate impact, scoring 13 points in Navarra's 84–72 win over L'Hospitalet. Later in the season he joined Real Canoe, which fell 0–2 in the playoffs.

National team career In his early career, Cadot was selected to represent The Bahamas at the junior levels. Cadot assumed a bigger role at the 2011 edition of the tournament, where he averaged 10.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He also took part in the Centrobasket in 2012 and 2016.

Personal life Cadot's father Michelet Thomas died in early 2010 after suffering a serious illness. Cadot reflected, "Everything I do on and off the court now, I do for my dad."