Feb. 2, 2007

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Former Spartan All-American Mateen Cleaves will have his jersey retired prior to Saturday's Michigan State-Ohio State game. On Thursday, he took some time to answer questions from the media on a conference call. Here is a sampling of the questions and his answers.

General thoughts on having his jersey retired ... To be honest, I hadn't thought about having my jersey retired, I was just happy with winning a national championship - I could have closed the book then. It is definitely an honor to be considered one of the best basketball players at Michigan State. Once again, when you look at the names that are up in the rafters, I am just in awe and definitely very grateful to be considered one of the best ever at Michigan State.

On where his career and his health are at currently ... I am done playing in Russia for right now, and I am going to try to make another push for the NBA. I am definitely healthy and in the best shape I have been in since probably high school - I weigh about 196 pounds and I haven't been under 200 pounds in I don't know how long. I think it is very realistic. My agent has had some interest from several teams that called when I was in Russia, but I was locked in a contract. I got out of that contract, and now I am just playing some good basketball. If I am not back in the NBA in the next couple of weeks, I am going to go to the minor leagues and see what happens from there.

On playing in Russia ... It was different - it was definitely something different. My thing was, we were winning and we were in first place in both leagues. Then, we had a break, and after the break, the coach started not playing me as much and we started losing, and all sorts of things started happening. I just kind of got tired of it. My goal is to be in the NBA anyways, so the whole time I was over there I was thinking about working on my game to get back to the NBA, to be honest. My whole focus was the NBA anyways.

On living in Russia ... I played in Kazan. It was different - living conditions were tough because no one really spoke any English and it was hard to communicate with people. To be honest, I wasn't doing too much, and I didn't go over there to enjoy the city. I was playing basketball and continuing to get better. I read a lot of books and really had a lot of time to myself, which I really needed at the time because when I am at home I am always running from this point to that point, from point A to point B. I got to know myself a little better.

On representing the "Flintstones" and the entire city of Flint ... It is definitely an honor for my whole city. I have never been a selfish guy and I look at it as an accomplishment not only for the Flintstones that played there, but for the Flintstones that played before me, guys that played football, guys that played basketball, like a Terry Furlow, who I think should be up there as far as numbers go. It is definitely an accomplishment for me and my whole city, and without the Flintstones and the guys who played with me, my jersey wouldn't be going up in the rafters.

On the people that will be with him on Saturday for the ceremony ... I am having a lot of people coming up, a lot of family members. Everybody is excited, and that is gratification for me - that my whole family can enjoy it. For me, it is a great honor, and I am very blessed, but to see my family members - my nieces and nephews, my mother and dad, my brothers and sisters - to see all of them enjoy it is special too.

On it being seven years since playing at Michigan State ... It doesn't seem like seven years. It seems like yesterday we were cutting down the nets. I am still in awe to be thinking that my jersey is being retired. As a kid, you always talk about college, and playing, and winning championships, but I would never imagine my jersey would get retired.

On Tom Izzo saying the program and him as a coach wouldn't be as successful if it wasn't for Mateen Cleaves ... It is definitely great to hear one of the best college coaches say something like that - Tom Izzo. It is a great honor for him to say that, but I wouldn't be the player I am and the person I am today if it wouldn't have been for him.

His thoughts on this year's team ... I haven't seen them much, and they are going to make mistakes because they are a young team, but one thing I do like about them is that they play hard. People know when they play Michigan State they are going to have to play hard and that is the thing I like about them. I haven't seen them play much, but the times I have seen them they played hard. Mistakes, I can live with that, but I think they are going to continue to get better and better, and teams don't want to come play Michigan State because it is going to be tough.

On if his NBA career would have been different without the injuries ... I don't make any excuses. You talk to a lot of guys who play in the NBA and no one plays without something being hurt - they always have nicks and injuries. In my career, everything that has happened has happened for a reason so I don't have anything bad to say about it, and I don't get down about it. I have been in some tough situations, like when I got traded from Detroit, I went to a tough situation where Mike Bibby and Bobby Jackson were already established in Sacramento, which was tough. Then when I played in Seattle, I was playing behind guys who were established already. So, I think I have just been in some tough situations, but I still think I can play on an NBA team, be productive, and help the team win.

On if things would have worked out had he not been injured when he went to Cleveland ... That is when I had the stress fracture in my foot. It was definitely a great opportunity because I know I would have had the opportunity to play and people would have been able to see me. It is hard to prove yourself when you aren't out there on that floor. I think it would have been a great opportunity to play, but it didn't work out. I don't need to cry about it - it is what it is. I just keep moving. I live for what is in front of me and not worry about the past.

On if he knew any Russian ... No, not any. Just hi, hello, bye, thank you - you know, the basics.

Reflecting on his time at MSU, what stands out besides the national championship ... I think just the camaraderie, the way people in the program love each other and enjoy being around each other - not only playing together, but all the times when we would just go out and get a sandwich, or go to a movie, or the times we had our pick-up games. We would go in there and try to tear each other's shirts off, but at the end of the day, we would hug each other and smile and laugh. Those are the times you miss, the battles you had with your teammates. I haven't been that close with a team since I left Michigan State, and I don't think I ever will be.

Closing comments ... Like I said, it is an honor and I am in awe. I wish instead of me pulling the strings to pull that jersey to the rafters, I wish every guy I played with had the opportunity to be there because they all deserve it too.