AMES – Sophomore guard Cade Kelderman had never played more than five minutes in a game in his collegiate career up until Feb. 22 of this season. Now, due to a plethora of injuries to the Cyclones’ backcourt, the walk-on is being asked to play a pivotal role in the postseason.
“He leaves it on the floor in practice and Cade is a really good player, but as soon as he gets more opportunities, you guys are going to know,” junior forward Joshua Jefferson said.
Until Feb. 22, Kelderman had never gotten those opportunities in high-leverage situations, with all his minutes coming in end-of-game situations where the outcome was already decided.
Then, an injury to senior guard Keshon Gilbert and an illness to senior guard Curtis Jones led to a thin backcourt for an upcoming match-up with Big 12 leaders, then-No. 5 Houston.
Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger called upon the walk-on from Waukee, Iowa, to step up.
Kelderman had plenty of experience playing at a high level, as he averaged 16.7 points per game, 5.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 57.9% from the floor and 47.9 percent from 3-point range as a senior.
However, having your first high-leverage collegiate minutes coming against a perennial national championship contender is a whole different challenge.
“What a thankless job to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to put you in rotation. We’re on the road at Houston as your first experience.’ And I thought he did a really good job with it,” Otzelberger said.
Kelderman didn’t produce much on that stat sheet, recording just one rebound in nine minutes of action, but he was a steadying force and played a role in the short-handed Cyclones giving Houston everything it could handle.
“Obviously, I was super excited, but it was unfortunate that some of the dudes in the rotation weren’t able to play,” Kelderman said. “But just staying ready for whenever my opportunity will come. Staying in the gym, working hard, doing everything that they ask of me and then when the opportunity comes, just doing my best, giving 100% effort and see where that takes me.”
Iowa State’s backcourt got back to mostly full strength down the stretch of the season, which resulted in fewer minutes for Kelderman, but as Gilbert’s groin injury persisted, Kelderman was one injury away from being back in the rotation.
In the Cyclones’ first game of the Big 12 Tournament against Cincinnati, junior guard Tamin Lipsey suffered an injury late in the game, which meant that Kelderman would be back in the lineup in the quarterfinals against BYU.
Having a walk-on play big minutes in the Big 12 Tournament may seem like a risk, but Kelderman had earned Otzelberger’s trust with the work he put in during the season.
“Cade, every day after we finish our team meal, comes back to the gym and gets additional shots. That’s after he gets a workout early in the day and practices. He really cares about his teammates. He really cares about our program. He’s obviously earned my trust over what he does every single day,” Otzelberger said.
“When you come in as a walk-on, you got to work for everything,” Kelderman said.
The quarterfinal game against BYU was a chance for Kelderman to show that he was more than a walk-on who sits at the end of the bench, but instead a player who could make an impact on an elite team.
“Just taking it day by day, week by week and then if you get the opportunities, make the most of them and keep going from there,” Kelderman said.
Kelderman would go on to play a career-high 18 minutes and scored three points after shooting 1-for-2 from behind the arc in the loss to BYU. Kelderman also recorded two rebounds and two assists while playing strong on the defensive end.
While once again not lighting up the stat sheet, it’s safe to say Kelderman made the most of his opportunity.
“When he comes out in a big environment and a big game and knocks down a shot like that, you know, that’s a credit to him, his character, and his work ethic,” Otzelberger said. “We see him do it on a daily basis. We know what he can continue to do, and I’m excited about his continued development because he’s giving us a good spark and some great energy.”
After Iowa State was announced as a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Otzelberger announced that Gilbert’s injury was going to sideline him for the rest of the season, meaning that Kelderman will likely continue to be a factor going forward.
“We’ve liked the rotation of eight guys throughout the course of the year. It’s been effective for us. And so, with Cade, he would be in that rotation of eight,” Otzelberger said.
No one would have ever expected Kelderman to have this type of role at this point in the season, but the walk-on knows that he has the support and trust of the coaches and his teammates.
“Everyone around me has done a great job of uplifting me and giving me the confidence in practice to go out there and play free and loose,” Kelderman said.
Kelderman needs to have that high level of confidence going forward because who knows, he could be the difference between Iowa State advancing in the tournament or going home.
