Michigan State Spartans Basketball Legend Mateen Cleaves 2-8-25

Transcript

00:00I'm gonna sit there with him and they start playing cuz I dreamed about that

00:02moment as a kid and to see the you know the one shiny moment and they play in

00:06the highlights and I'm standing there with coach is a man special moment you

00:13know something I will never ever forget you want a championship there's a bond

00:19for life yes it is you know and we would be like you said we would be brothers no

00:24matter what and that's what made us special that's why when I talk it was a

00:27special group man it was selfless you know everybody had each other's back and

00:31we would be brothers no matter what but it is it is special and Magic Johnson my

00:36big brother told me that night you know enjoy it but it's gonna get better as

00:42you get older and that's that was you know he's right it gets better every

00:47every year around this time March Madness come around I get chill bumps

00:51and I just think about you know when we want it all what's like seeing that

00:55moment again when you do watch it chill bumps chill bumps and I get emotional

00:59you know every time I watch it you know because it was special you know people

01:03that's why I just hope that Spartan Nation can appreciate our team because

01:09it was a lot of blood sweat and tears a lot of sacrifice I just I just hope

01:13people can really appreciate it because you it ain't easy to do you know a lot

01:16of stuff got to go your way obviously but we had a group man that trusted each

01:21other believed in each other started at the top obviously with coaches all

01:24managers but we all had each other's back and it was not about who scored the

01:28most points who got the most rebounds it was about winning that's all it was

01:32about doing your job to help the team win a championship 100% they just you

01:38know just got to keep working you know obviously you know we all every season

01:42we hope we can win a national championship but you just got to keep

01:45working man and you know the thing is you got to go through some adversity how

01:48you respond to it and I think we were really good at that responding to

01:52adversity we didn't win every game but we had a collective group that trusted

01:56each other believe in each other so whenever we did go through adversity

01:59which we leaned on each other and we didn't care who what people wrote in the

02:03media we didn't we didn't care about that we stayed connected and that's what

02:07made us special. Tom is appreciative because starting with Antonio a year before this is where it all

02:14started the Yuzo era. Do you feel a part of that? Did you feel then that that was the start of this?

02:19Oh 100% it was and think about it I think people get offended when I say

02:24certain things but when I look back at 1996 when I came here I took a chance on

02:30Michigan State you know honestly it wasn't the the happening thing to do you

02:35know I mean the school down the street had seven eight McDonald's All-Americans

02:39on their roster so as a point guard this probably on paper it wasn't the

02:44best decision to make in my position back then but I you know what I believe

02:47that coaches have always been a Michigan State fan this has always been home my

02:51father was a big Michigan State fan so I do feel I feel good man to be a part of

02:56a change in and turning this thing around and and obviously keeping it what

03:00it is you know 25 years ago keeping it you know what it was so I do feel

03:05special feel feel grateful to be a part of something special.