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State of mind Cleaves, Spartans ready to make a run
Posted: Wednesday March 15, 2000 03:44 AM
By John Giannone, CNNSI.com EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The bank account, the wardrobe and the attitude all remain modest. Only the dreams are lavish. When Mateen Cleaves decided to remain at Michigan State and shun the NBA's riches, he did it for one reason - to turn this March into his own little Mardi Gras. And now, that moment has arrived. "Now it is a sense of urgency because I don't have another year, said the senior guard. “It has been special since I've been here. I just want to make it very special. I want to go out on a good note." His coach seems to think there’s a good chance that will happen. "When you give that up, then he becomes even more hungry to try to achieve what you want to get,” said Tom Izzo. “And I think he's ready to make the run." Charlie Bell, who shares the backcourt with Cleaves knows what his coach is talking about. "Sometimes during games and practice, you can kind of see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice when he's yelling at everybody to play harder. Everybody knows this is what he came back for."
Even in defeat, Michigan State savored the flavor of last year's Final Four. It was an experience that the Spartans believe can only help in what figures to be a manic month filled with great expectations. "I think we all grew from it,” Izzo says, “and we all learned from it. And now we have to put that to good use, which is easier said than done. But I do think having some of those players be under that same scrutiny and pressure and all those things has got to help us." Forward Morris Peterson says this is a team that feels comfortable going into the tournament. “We have a lot of guys who have a lot of experience with being in big games, and sometimes when you're not in big games you tend to tense up. But that's not the case with us.” Bells adds that despite suffering seven losses during the regular season, the confidence level on the team remains high. "Last year, we knew we had a chance to make it to the Final Four,” he said. “I think this year we know we have a chance to win it all and that's the kind of approach we have. We know we can win it all and if we don't win it all, it is going to be a major disappointment to all of us." In order to achieve their goal of hoisting the championship trophy in Indianapolis, the Spartans know they'll have to defy some dubious conference history. Only one time in the last 35 years has a Big 10 team made consecutive trips to the Final Four. That was Michigan in 1992 and 1993.
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