Wednesday, March 29, 2000
Cleaves' loss a Spartan gain
Guard's injury made MSU a better team
BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
There is no time to wonder what his season might have been like without the injury, no sense trying to guess how great his team could have become. Mateen Cleaves is healthy now. Michigan State is in the Final Four. It will have to do.
The Spartans remain the favorite to win the national championship, which is pretty much how the year figured to go before Cleaves broke his foot and was forced to sit through the first 13 games.
Were it not for the time he spent on the sideline, wearing gaudy sweaters and a protective boot on his foot, it's possible Cleaves would have been a consensus All-American for a third consecutive season. The Spartans, who will play Wisconsin at the RCA Dome in Saturday's NCAA Tournament semifinals, probably would have put together a more impressive regular-season record than 26-7.
But that does not guarantee they would have been on their way to Indianapolis for this weekend's event. Cleaves' injury changed him as a player; it changed the Spartans as a team. They might have won more games with him in the lineup, but they would not have developed in the same manner.
“With Mateen being out, it gave guys a chance to step up and bring other things to the table,” star wing Morris
Peterson said.
Michigan State was 9-4 while Cleaves was gone, with losses to Texas, Arizona, Kentucky and, shockingly, Wright State.
As Cleaves watched, center Andre Hutson was forced to develop as a scorer and reached double figures in seven of MSU's first eight games. Junior shooting guard Charlie Bell shifted to the point and developed his playmaking and leadership skills. Peterson had to take more responsibility for generating offense in the clutch.
Hutson's improvement permitted him to outscore All-Americans Etan Thomas of Syracuse and Marcus Fizer of Iowa State 28-22 on 68.8 percent shooting in last weekend's Midwest Regional games.
Bell has filled the backup void behind Cleaves and has become a more dangerous shooter off the dribble. Both of the baskets that completed sig nificant MSU comebacks last week were pull-up jumpers by Bell.
Peterson averaged only 10.8 points in last season's final six weeks, mostly because he stopped shooting or couldn't get shots. This season, he has averaged 16.3 points since Feb.15, including a combined 39 points in the Syracuse and Iowa State wins.
“I think every guy knew he had to do more, because Mateen challenged them to do more,” coach Tom Izzo said. “He challenged them in practice, he challenged them before games in the hotel. He did a good job of challenging them; they did a good job of responding.
“If you want to be honest about it, really honest about it, 90 percent of the people would be pulling for their team, but deep down would be saying, "Boy, I hope they don't do too well without me, make sure they don't forget about me.” There was never an inkling of that. I think that helped us all.”
Cleaves does not shoot the ball as he expected he would. He did extensive work during the offseason to improve his jumper. When he rejoined the Spartans in time for a Jan.5 game against Penn State, there was no time to recover that progress.
His 3-point percentage is 35.8, far better than in his three previous seasons, but he makes only about one a game. Not being able to rely on his shot forced him to pay attention to what he always does well.
“I shot the ball well before I was hurt, but I try to put that out of my mind and play as I am now,” Cleaves said. “I don't try to make excuses. If you think about that, it kind of frustrates you. I just try to stay focused and do what I do best now: Just run my team.”
His return did not instantly elevate the Spartans to the Final Four. They lost their fourth game with Cleaves, scoring just 67 points at Ohio State. They blew late leads at Purdue and Indiana.
The Spartans are 21-3 with Cleaves at the point, though. In their past three tournament wins, they've rallied from second-half deficits. That's partly as a result of the resilience they were forced to develop without him.
Michigan State has not won a national championship since 1979. With five of last season's top six scorers returning, this figured to be a year the Spartans could break that drought. Even though one returned late, it still can be.
“Mateen is our leader,” Peterson said. “It definitely did take time for us to really get going, for him to feel comfortable and get back to how he was playing. But having him back has even made us a better team.”
Final Four Coverage: Men's •
Women's
Enter Week 4 of our Hoops Madness Contest
Sports Stories
UC's Johnson not in class, weighs NBA
Martin awarded Robertson trophy
Stadium's signature: A Swoosh
Dillon talks put on hold
Limits for on-field celebration suggested
Drawings just tantalize Reds fans
Casey's slow start doesn't worry Reds
Larkin remains captain, leader
LaRue, Dawkins sent back to minors
Pitchers' woes not troubling
Red Sox 11, Reds 8
