As head coach T.J. Otzelberger calls a timeout inside Hilton Coliseum, Cyclone Nation rises for applause, but junior guard Cade Kelderman is already up, giving high fives to his teammates, pats on the back and words of encouragement. It’s a familiar sight at Iowa State games, an image that captures exactly who Kelderman is, even with him rarely checking in for a game.

Although his time on the hard maple wood is sparse, Kelderman’s presence never goes unnoticed, whether it’s the smiles he shows to his fans, the jokes he cracks to his teammates in a huddle or even the full attention he gives to Otzelberger during a timeout.

Although the starters deservedly get a lot of the attention, players like Kelderman are important to the team’s success. The Cyclones are currently 23-3 and ranked No. 6 in the nation, and many pundits predict they could be a Final Four team. While impact players are important, it’s often players like Kelderman that make the grind of a long season more tolerable. However, Kelderman has shown in the past season that he’s a lot more than a cheerleader.

“Cade [Kelderman] has tremendous passion, enthusiasm,” Otzelberger said. “To be a Cyclone, he’s a tremendous teammate, he’s someone that  we know we can count on and trust, he’s still going to have opportunities that come his way yet this year, I don’t know when or how but he will.”

Growing up as an Iowa State fan and playing basketball since he was four, there was no chance that Kelderman would pass up the opportunity to be a “walk-on” for Iowa State, even if it meant giving up scholarships to play basketball for Division II schools.

“Obviously, those Division II opportunities are super hard to pass up and who knows what my career would look like if I’m at one of those schools,” Kelderman said. “I’m not sure, but just coming here, the coaching staff, the players, they’re all great people and great people to learn from on a daily basis.”

During his freshman year, Kelderman faced challenges and what he would call his hardest year as a Cyclone. He played in 12 games off the bench, totaling just 24 minutes of playtime. By the end of the season, he had accumulated only eight points and recorded three steals.

“My first year, when I wasn’t getting any opportunities at all, just continuing to work hard every single day,” Kelderman said. “Whether I’m not playing the night before, whether I played two minutes, not letting those circumstances dictate my work ethic.”

Despite his limited time on the court, Kelderman decided to come back to Iowa State because of the people: his teammates, coaches and environment.

“When you see how hard we do things, how intentional everything is, it’s something you want to be a part of, you want to be with these guys in the fight,” Kelderman said. “The teammates, whether on or off the court, they’re just great guys to hang out with and be around.”

His decision to come back proves his resilience and dedication when faced with adversity. Kelderman continued to have a sophomore year as a Cyclone, where he had a well-improved total of 82 minutes of play.

Kelderman’s skill promoted him to become a reliable substitute for multiple starters, such as former Cyclone Keshon Gilbert, as he was out for a lingering groin injury that kept him out of the NCAA Tournament. He also gained an opportunity to play in the Big 12 Quarterfinals for 18 minutes against BYU, after senior guard Tamin Lipsey suffered his own groin injury.

With Lipsey still out, Kelderman stepped in again against Lipscomb and had his best game, playing 18 minutes, securing a season high of five points, three steals and three assists in the 82-55 victory. 

“He [Kelderman] has been putting in work since the day I met him,” Iowa State assistant Coach Diante Garrett said. “He’s gotten 10 times better since the first day I met him. When he’s working out with me, I can see the intensity. He wants to get better, he listens to detail, I feel like if he keeps doing that, he’s going to have a long career, even beyond playing college basketball.”

Iowa State ended its 2024-25 season with a 91-78 loss against Ole Miss to put the Cyclones at a 25-10 overall record. After the season’s completion, Otzelberger held exit meetings with each player. In Kelderman’s meeting, he was offered to be put on scholarship due to his daily hard work, dedication and the role he plays in the team’s success.

“On the outside, I’m trying to keep it professional, obviously, you’re talking to the head coach,” Kelderman said. “But on the inside, I was super excited, just very grateful that they recognized and think I do such a good job impacting the team.”

Now playing his junior year on scholarship, Kelderman still has his positive attitude and continues to grow as a player, as he currently has a total of 60 minutes of playing time so far this season, and has obtained 15 points, six steals and 12 assists.

Kelderman’s positive dedication to the sport he loves is nothing short of impactful, and his biggest motivators and inspiration are his family, specifically his parents, from whom he has learned his optimism, confidence and bright outlook.

“My parents being the biggest supporters, pushing us [Kelderman and his three siblings] to be the best that we could be when we were younger,” Kelderman said. “Now, coming to all of our games, supporting us, they’re just honestly what keeps me going every day.”

Despite still spending time on the bench, his positivity, which he has adapted from his family, goes nothing short of unnoticed. Kelderman’s reactions on the floor are nothing but true as he just reacts with pure joy.  But sometimes his reactions are intentional when he believes his teammates need a positive spark or motivation.

“If I feel our team’s a little slow to start the game, or they kind of need something just to get us going, at a timeout, I can try and say something to someone or at halftime, I can get guys fired up,” Kelderman said. “I’d say a lot of it’s just reacting, but some of it is reading the room, seeing what’s needed and seeing if I can help a guy out or multiple guys.”

Although Kelderman’s ability to read the room comes in handy in various situations, he prefers to live more in the moment. That’s why a lot of his reactions are so pure — because he wears his heart on his sleeve and enjoys making others proud of their accomplishments.

Enjoying small victories of others, Kelderman’s favorite moment he got to experience was holding up three fingers in celebration of Momcilovic’s 3-point shot during Iowa State’s upset 81-58 victory against then-ranked No. 1 Purdue.

“He [Momcilovic] caught it right in front of our bench, kind of backing down and everyone on our bench was standing up before the shot even went up, knowing that it would go in,” Kelderman said. “We all know what’s coming; the defense doesn’t know what’s coming, but we’re all up there hyped up, encouraging him.” 

Only a junior and halfway through the 2025-26 season, Kelderman still has much growth and time on the court in Hilton Coliseum. However, his ability to support the small moments, positively influence the people around him and impact the team stretches far beyond the hardwood and will continue after his time in a cardinal and gold jersey.