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Mateen Cleaves ALMOST played college football for Nick Saban at Michigan State | Draymond Green Show

16 Sept 2022 · 2 min

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2:03

In this segment of the Draymond Green Show, host Draymond Green asks former Michigan State basketball star Mateen Cleaves about his high‑school reputation as one of the nation’s top point guards and quarterbacks and the pivotal decision to pursue basketball over football at the collegiate level. Cleaves explains that a serious car accident that injured his back nudged him toward basketball, though he seriously considered playing football, even reaching out to Charlie Ward as a role model. He recounts how Coach Tom Izzo’s mentorship and frequent conversations with Alabama head coach Nick Saban kept the football option alive, but a breakout sophomore season—earning Big Ten Player of the Year, a Sweet 16 run, and first‑team All‑American honors alongside teammates like Vince Carter—sealed his commitment to basketball. The dialogue highlights the interplay of personal injury, coaching influence, and athletic success in shaping Cleaves’ career path.

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What's up everybody? It's Draymond Green. Make sure you subscribe to the Volumes YouTube channel below so you don't miss any more of this great content going forward. I think a lot of people don't know, coming outta high school, you were one of the top point guards in the country. It's great. But what most people don't know is you were also one of the top quarterbacks in the country. And I think Coming up at that time and seeing like what Charlie Ward had just did at Florida State, like I'm sure how much of a decision was it for you to choose like, yo, not only I'm gonna go to Michigan State, but I'm gonna choose basketball over football. 'Cause that's a totally different thing. Or you could have went to a school and said, hey, I'm going to play basketball and football. But how much did that decision weigh on you? Or was that just an easy like, nah, I'm going basketball and that's just that?
Nah, man, I thought about that. The car accident kind of had me gravitate a little more to basketball when I broke my back. But man, I was seriously thinking about playing football. And like you talk, you mentioned Charlie Ward. I kind of smiled 'cause that was my guy. I admire him so much and looked up to him. I actually reached out to him on Instagram the other day and just said, "What's up?" You know, "Hey man, love you." That's dope. Respect. 'Cause he was a point guard, he was a quarterback. So I was seriously considering going to Florida State 'cause I had just watched him. But Coach Izzo, man, he made it hard. You know, I couldn't tell him no. But even when I got here, I didn't rule football out. And that's one thing I love about Coach Izzo. Me and him would sit and talk to Nick Saban. We together, you know, I never ruled it out. I was like, actually, if I didn't have the great year I had my sophomore year, I was probably gonna play football that next year. But Big Ten Player of the Year, we went to the Sweet 16, won the Big Ten. First team All-American that year with Vince Carter, which was a hell of a class. So that kind of just, it just happened. But I hadn't ruled football out probably until I had that good sophomore season.
Really?
Yeah, I would go to Nick Saban. We talked all the time. I was gonna play football if I didn't have a good year.
Izz probably would've loved you more. You know, he more of a football fan than basketball anyway.
I know, right?