Regaining the MIGHTY MO

Sporting News, The, Jan 17, 2000 by Drew Sharp

Although he was a little overweight, a little apprehensive and a little rusty, Mateen Cleaves' return from a stress fracture has Michigan State back among the nation's elite

Mothers are like coaches. They were put on this Earth to worry about their kids.

Mateen Cleaves knew he was ready to return 11 weeks after surgery to repair a fracture in his right foot. But he wasn't sure his mother, Frances, was ready. So he hesitated calling her. Experience has taught Cleaves, Michigan State's standout senior point guard, that it's nearly impossible to win an argument with his mother.

It was Frances Cleaves who assured Michigan State's fans during last spring's Final Four that her son definitely was returning for his senior year, because she wanted him to receive his degree before turning pro. And if he didn't agree, she'd "find a way to make him see things my way."

Cleaves finally told his mother the morning of the Spartans' Big Ten season opener against Penn State last week. It took him an hour to convince her the foot was fine, that doctors promised the bone was even stronger than before the surgery.

"She knows that I would play even if my foot was still broken," says Cleaves, the two-time defending Big Ten Player of the Year. "It's been tough just sitting around and watching the guys and not being able to do anything. This has been one of the hardest things that I've ever had to go through because we're expecting a lot from ourselves and others are expecting a lot from us."

The Spartans, a consensus preseason No. 1 before Cleaves' injury, had to look elsewhere for his invaluable floor leadership while he was out. Even when they found a solid mix, the usual fire and ferocity were missing.

And even when Cleaves came back, it didn't instantly feel just right.

The first basket off the first jumper in the first minute of his first action of the season was nice. And the first blind bullet pass to a teammate for an easy layup was sweetly sentimental.

But Cleaves didn't feel completely back until he saw his old running partner from Flint, Mich., Morris Peterson, streaking down the left wing in the second half.

Oh, yes. Here it comes. The season's first air-mail delivery.

The alley-oop sent Cleaves jumpin', dancin' and pumpin' back down the floor, brought everyone in the building out of their seats and returned a sense of normalcy to a season Michigan State feared might slip from its grasp.

"It felt just like old times after that play," Cleaves said after the Spartans had dispatched Penn State 76-63. "I had been preaching to Morris for the last two months that I couldn't wait until we could hook up again. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this night."

He's back. And so, too, is the contagious energy and emotion that rubs off on everybody else. There were moments with Cleaves at the baton when the running game resembled the harmonic symphony of last season, when the Spartans won 18 straight, racing through the Big Ten for their second straight title and advancing through the NCAA Tournament until top-rated Duke ended the dream in the national semifinals.

"He didn't look bad for somebody who hasn't played in three months," Penn State coach Jerry Dunn says. "There were some moments in the transition game where he looked like the Mateen Cleaves of old. Don't get me wrong. They've got a lot of fine players on that team without him, but he's got the ability to take them to another level."

The Spartans were good without Cleaves. They stunned North Carolina in Chapel Hill on December 1, snapping the Tar Heels' 55-game non-conference home winning streak.

"But they're a great team with him," says Kansas coach Roy Williams, whose team lost to the Spartans, 66-54, in the Great Eight on December 7. "It leaves you shaking your head because it's almost scary to think what kind of team they become with Cleaves in the lineup."

Cleaves believes it'll take him a couple more weeks to return to top playing condition. He's still a little overweight and a bit apprehensive about exploding off his right foot. But his presence still makes an impact.

"The biggest difference in having Mo back is that it helps the rest of us play a little more instinctively," says junior guard Charlie Bell, a scorer who assumed much of the point-guard responsibilities in Cleaves' absence. "I'm a pretty good rebounder for a two-guard. That's become kind of a natural part of my overall game, but I couldn't really play that with Mo out."

Life without Cleaves did have a few benefits for the Spartans, who too often became a one-man show when Cleaves got caught up in doing too much. Bell too easily would defer to Cleaves, often passing up quality scoring opportunities. Now you can expect to see a more assertive and confident Bell become a primary scoring option the remainder of the season.

Cleaves is an intriguing study. He's a contradiction in that his jump shot, an awkward heave off his right shoulder, is fundamentally flawed. He isn't terribly strong going to his left, nor is he lightning quick.