Kansas basketball: Top 25 target narrows choices to five schools

Kansas basketball target and four-star recruit Matthew Cleveland has narrowed his top schools to just five, and the Jayhawks made the cut.

So far, Kansas basketball just has one recruit in their 2021 class, but that could be changing soon. The Jayhawks are a top choice for Matthew Cleveland, a four-star recruit and top 25 prospect according to 247Sports‘ Composite Rankings.

Cleveland’s top five consisted of Kansas, Florida State, NC State, Michigan, and Stanford. He also holds offers from Florida, Auburn, Purdue, Maryland, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Seton Hall, Xavier, and many others.

Here is Cleveland’s post announcing his top five:

Cleveland currently attends Pace Academy in Georgia, and he stands at six-foot-six. 247Sports’ Jerry Meyer describes him as an “explosive athlete” and “slasher who specializes in making tough shots.” That second quote sounds like it could describe a player that just left the Jayhawks for the NBA: Devon Dotson.

While Cleveland is a few inches taller than Dotson, the two share a similar style of getting to the hoop and finishing tough shots. Where Dotson relied on his elite speed, Cleveland has the ability to rely on his height.

Given Cleveland has such a high ranking, he would be an excellent addition to the Jayhawks’ recruiting class of 2021. As of now, Kansas’ class ranks No. 18 in the nation and No. 1 in the Big 12 with just one recruit in it: Zach Clemence, a product of Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita.

So far, Cleveland has yet to announce a time or date for his commitment, which isn’t surprising. If he’s interested in Kansas, there’s a good chance that he’ll wait until the conflict between the Jayhawks and NCAA is resolved one way or another.

Either way, Cleveland would fit in great with the Jayhawks, and hopefully, he decides to join Self at Kansas.