There was a mild upset in the world of college basketball recruiting on Tuesday, with five-star guard Matthew Cleveland choosing the Florida State Seminoles for his collegiate destination, bringing disappointment to Kansas, who, along with North Carolina State, Michigan, and Stanford were the five finalists in the chase.
Cleveland is a native of the state of Georgia, ranked the 15th-best player in the country in the Class of 2021, and #2 in the shooting guard position, behind only Michigan State commit Max Christie.
Cleveland is the second highly-ranked commitment for Leonard Hamilton and Florida State this season, following shooting guard Bryce McGowens. The Seminoles are also heavily involved with five-star center Efton Reid and fast-rising forward James Graham. He averaged 22 points and 8 rebounds per game as a junior at Pace Academy in Georgia last season. In summer AAU ball, Cleveland is averaging 20.3 points and 5.4 rebounds for the Atlanta Celtics, including back-to-back 32-point outings in late June.
