Mateen Cleaves joins other Spartan legends whose sons are making headlines

After Saturday’s Flint City Pro-Am, Tom Izzo may be adding another legend’s son to his recruiting list in Mateen Cleaves Jr.

We’ve seen a number of legacy players begin to rise through high school rankings in recent years. Bronny James just went through the recruiting process, and Kiyan Anthony, son of Carmelo Anthony is currently doing the same.

Michigan State has been reaching out to legacies as well. Jase Richardson is a major target for Tom Izzo, son of Michigan State legend Jason Richardson.

After Saturday’s Flint City Pro-Am, Izzo may be adding another legend’s son to his recruiting list. 

Mateen Cleaves Jr. shows out on Saturday at Flint City Pro-Am

Over the weekend, Mateen Cleaves Jr. channeled his father during the Flint City Pro-Am. The youngest son of Mateen Cleaves, and obviously his namesake, played with Team McGee against Overseas Elite on Saturday, finishing with 16 points.

Scoring 10 of his 16 in the second half, Cleaves seemed to knock down mid range jumper after mid range jumper. Adding some 3-pointers in transition, Cleaves Jr.’s Team McGee would go on to win by 20, 84-64. It should be noted that the youngest Cleaves son is still only 12 years old. Playing on Team McGee, Cleaves Jr. is one of the youngest on the court.

The tournament is hosted by NBA Champion and fellow Flint native, JaVale McGee. Meant to be ‘a community event with local talent from the NBA, overseas and college guys’ according to the tournament organizer Rory Jones. The league is NCAA certified, meaning that amateurs and professionals can partake. Getting reps against higher competition such as this is a great start for Cleaves Jr. 

It seems as though Cleaves and Cleaves Jr. are up for the attention and challenge.

After the game, Cleaves Sr. said “I named him after me. We ain’t ducking anything.”

Will the 12-year-old continue to develop and will Tom Izzo make it a point to visit his old Flintstone captain to recruit his son? Only time will tell.