Mateen Ahmad Cleaves (born September 7, 1977 in Flint, Michigan) is an American former professional basketball player who played in six NBA seasons. He is currently a music talent manager[1] and an analyst on the television program Inside College Basketball on CBS Sports Network.
Cleaves is best remembered for his career with the Michigan State University Spartans (MSU).
[edit] College career
He was a heavily recruited high school athlete. His recruiting trip with the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team touched off a major scandal after he was a passenger in a rollover accident. Cleaves eventually agreed to attend Michigan State University, the University of Michigan's in-state rival.
Cleaves, a three-time Michigan State University captain, led the Spartans to the 2000 national championship, and was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.
The school's only three-time All-American, Cleaves was named Big Ten Player of the Year twice. He led MSU and the conference in career assists with 816, and is Michigan State's all-time steals leader (193). In his final home game on senior night in East Lansing, Cleaves dished out 20 assists, breaking the Big Ten single-game and career assist marks.
On February 3, 2007, Cleaves became the eighth MSU player to have his number retired.
[edit] Professional career
In 2000, Cleaves was drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the fourteenth pick. During his rookie season, he played in 78 games, averaging 5.4 points and 2.7 assists.
During his rookie year, Cleaves was ticketed for speeding and driving with a suspended license. Cleaves was cited for driving 85 mph in a 70 mph zone, and a routine check showed his license was suspended. The suspension was dropped once Cleaves paid the fines.[2]
Cleaves was traded to the Sacramento Kings shortly before the 2001–02 season for Jon Barry and a first-round draft pick. After two seasons playing sparingly, he signed as a free agent with the Boston Celtics,[3] but was waived before 2003–04's regular season began. He played with the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games. He was then signed by the Seattle SuperSonics, was cut during 2004–05, and re-signed during the following campaign.
Following his NBA stint, Cleaves appeared for the Fayetteville Patriots and the Bakersfield Jam of the D-League, also playing abroad with Russia's Unics Kazan and Greece's Panionios BC. In 2008, he played with the Denver Nuggets in their pre-season, but was waived before the October 29 tip-off.[4]
[edit] Post-playing career
On March 14, 2010, it was announced that Cleaves had joined Fox Sports Detroit as a Detroit Pistons studio analyst.[5] In addition Cleaves has branched out into music as an owner of the record label All Varsity Entertainment, featuring Jon Connor.[1]
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* Ruled ineligible after tournament
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| Persondata |
| Name |
Cleaves, Mateen |
| Alternative names |
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| Short description |
American basketball player |
| Date of birth |
September 7, 1977 |
| Place of birth |
Flint, Michigan |
| Date of death |
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| Place of death |
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United States
