Matthew Cleveland sees his recruitment pick up down South
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There are always talented athletes popping out of nowhere in Atlanta, and one of the emerging prospects so far this high school season has been Matthew Cleveland. The 6-foot-6 wing in the 2021 class is a high-level athlete who can put the ball on the floor to make plays or hit jumpers from deep.
His recruitment has really ramped up lately. Georgia Tech became his first scholarship offer last month while he was on campus to visit for a game. This past weekend, he made a trip to Tuscaloosa to see Alabama play, as the Crimson Tide have been showing heavy interest. Georgia also hosted him for a visit earlier this season, and the Bulldogs are becoming more involved with him as well. Florida State also recently sent an assistant to see him play.
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IN HIS OWN WORDS
Alabama: “It was a good visit. I talked to the coaches for a little bit. They just told me to keep working. The game was good until they lost at the buzzer. They played a lot of position-less basketball, except for their bigs.”
Georgia: “It was a good visit. I talked to Coach (Tom) Crean and his staff. He talked about what they look for in athletes there. They played a lot of position-less basketball, too. Even their 5-man, Nicolas Claxton, was playing some point guard.”
Georgia Tech: “It’s a good program. I’ve talked to their coaches a good bit. They told me to keep working on and off the court, because they hold their athletes to a high standard in the classroom. Both of my parents went there. It kind of means something to me, but I’m open to everybody.”
RIVALS' REACTION AND WHAT'S NEXT
Given his family connections to the school, you can expect Georgia Tech will remain a strong player for his signature in the 2021 class. Josh Pastner and his staff have done a terrific job building a relationship early on in his recruitment. Alabama and Georgia are also putting in a lot of work early to generate interest from him. Because Cleveland is a great student in addition to being a great basketball prospect, look for schools all over the country to jump into the mix in the next year or so.