Michigan State University Athletics
Cleaves And Peterson Realize Childhood Dreams
6/28/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
June 28, 2000
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Since the end of the National Championship season, Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson have listened as different people predicted where they were going to be selected in the NBA Draft. All along, Cleaves and Peterson worked hard to prepare themselves for the draft while ignoring the different projections. To them, the thought of being drafted by any NBA team was the realization of a childhood dream.
At the 2000 NBA Draft on Wednesday, June 28, the dreams became a reality and the speculation ended as Cleaves was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 14th pick in the first round and Peterson was drafted by the Toronto Raptors with the 21st pick in the first round. This is only the second time in Michigan State history that two Spartans have been selected in the first round. In 1979, Earvin Johnson and Greg Kelser were selected with the first and fourth picks in the first round.
Cleaves, a 6'-2", 205-pound point guard, finished his career as the all-time assists leader both at Michigan State and in the Big Ten with 816. He ranks 10th on the MSU career scoring list with 1,541 points. A three-time All-American and two-time Big Ten Player of the Year, Cleaves was named MVP of the 2000 Final Four and the 1999 Big Ten Tournament. As a junior, Cleaves set a school and conference single-season record with 274 assists. For his career, he averaged 12.5 points, 6.6 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game.
"This is a dream come true," said Cleaves. "I watched the `Bad Boys' and I was a Pistons fan growing up. I'm so happy to be close to home so all my family and friends can come see me play. The Pistons are getting a warrior. I'm going to go to practice everyday ready to go to work. I'm so happy they are giving me a chance to play in the NBA. I promise I'm going to make the most of it.
"This is the best situation for me. I think I have a chance to come in and be a major contributor to the Pistons. The thing I like about them is I love Joe Dumars as president. I love the coaching staff and I love all the players."
Last season, the Detroit Pistons posted a 42-40 record, advancing to the NBA Playoffs where they were eliminated by the Miami Heat.
"I feel like I'm living in a fairy tale," said Cleaves. "I'm still pinching myself from that championship and now I have to continue pinching myself for getting picked by Detroit. I'm getting spoiled. It's like everything is going my way. Detroit was the team I really wanted to go to and my dream came true."
Peterson, a 6'-7", 215-pound small forward, finished his career as the ninth-leading scorer in Michigan State history with 1,588 points. He is also just the fifth player in MSU history to record at least 1,500 points and grab at least 600 rebounds. The all-time leader in games played at Michigan State, Peterson earned All-America honors in 2000 while also being named Big Ten Player of the Year by the league's coaches and earning Big Ten Tournament MVP honors. In 1999, Peterson became the first non-starter in a major conference to earn first-team all-league honors. Peterson is a cousin of Jonathan Bender, a member of the NBA Eastern Conference Champion Indiana Pacers. For his career, Peterson averaged 11.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists.
"I think Toronto is a great city," said Peterson. "It's definitely a team on the rise. They have some great players like Vince Carter who does a lot of things. I'm just happy to get an opportunity to play. I think it's a great situation for me. Toronto plays with a lot of energy. They've got one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game and it's going to be exciting.
"This is something I've always dreamed of, to have my name called at the NBA Draft. I just thank God. I know that he gave me this opportunity and he put me in this position and I'm grateful that I'm here now."
