One of the biggest stock risers in Arizona basketball this spring and summer has been Mateen Cleaves Jr. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound combo guard from Dream City Christian Prep in Glendale has established himself as one of the elite prospects nationally in the 2028 class. After an impressive spring and summer, Cleaves has made a tremendous move up the national rankings and has emerged as one of the nation's highest-rated prospects. Cleaves has climbed into elite territory with ESPN, which now regards him among the top prospects nationally in the 2028 class (currently #12 by ESPN for the 2028 Class). Other national recruiting services also have Cleaves firmly established as a major national recruit.
The rise should come as little surprise to anyone who watched Cleaves perform this spring and summer. Cleaves competed with the highly regarded Oakland Soldiers (CA) club program on Nike’s prestigious EYBL grassroots circuit. Playing against elite competition throughout the spring and summer provided Cleaves with an opportunity to prove himself against many of the nation’s better young prospects. And Cleaves took full advantage. His excellent performance throughout the grassroots season resulted in increased national attention and helped propel his recruitment and national reputation to another level.
Cleaves is a big, physical combo guard who loves having the basketball in his hands. While capable of playing either guard position, Cleaves is most comfortable operating as a point guard, where his combination of size, strength, ball-handling ability and excellent court vision allows him to create opportunities for himself and his teammates. Cleaves is also a big-time scorer. He can create his own offense, get into the paint and finish through contact, while possessing the ability to score from different areas of the floor. His physical frame already resembles that of a college guard, but what makes Cleaves especially intriguing is how well he moves for his size. He has good quickness, quick hands and impressive footwork, allowing him to impact the game on both ends of the floor.
Cleaves’ combination of physical strength, scoring ability, court vision and feel for the game gives him the versatility to play on or off the basketball. And he is still only entering his junior season.
Of course, the name Mateen Cleaves already carries tremendous weight in basketball circles. Cleaves Jr. is the son of former Michigan State superstar Mateen Cleaves, who enjoyed one of the most decorated careers in Spartans' basketball history. The elder Cleaves led Michigan State to the 2000 NCAA national championship, earning Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors before going on to play in the NBA. But while the basketball pedigree is impossible to overlook, Cleaves Jr. is quickly creating his own identity as an elite national prospect.
Before arriving in Arizona, Cleaves played at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in Michigan. He later made the move to Dream City Christian, where he has continued to develop against a strong national schedule.
As Cleaves’ national profile continues to rise, so does his college recruitment. He already holds scholarship offers from numerous high-major programs, including Michigan State, Michigan, Houston, Rutgers, USC and Georgetown. That list should only continue to grow.
With two more high school seasons ahead of him, Cleaves is positioned to eventually receive recruiting attention from just about every program throughout the country. One program, however, will naturally receive enormous attention throughout his recruitment. Michigan State. The Spartans have already offered Cleaves, and the connection between his family and the Michigan State program is undeniable. His father remains one of the most important players in Michigan State basketball history, and longtime Spartans head coach Tom Izzo coached the elder Cleaves during the program’s 2000 national championship run. That history makes Michigan State an obvious program to watch closely as Cleaves Jr.’s recruitment develops. But with Cleaves emerging as one of the premier prospects in the 2028 class, his recruitment should become highly competitive.
There might not have been another Arizona prospect who improved his national stock as dramatically this spring and summer as Mateen Cleaves Jr. He entered the grassroots season already regarded as a talented national prospect. He exits it with a much different reputation. Cleaves has proven that he belongs among the nation’s elite prospects in the 2028 class, and his combination of size, physicality, point-guard instincts, scoring ability and tremendous basketball pedigree gives him an extremely high ceiling.
There is still plenty of basketball ahead for Cleaves over the next two years, and I look forward to continuing to watch his development. But one thing has already become very clear. Mateen Cleaves Jr. has established himself as another elite national prospect representing the state of Arizona.
