Kansas basketball: Four-star SG Matthew Cleveland sets commitment date

Four-star shooting guard and Kansas basketball recruit Matthew Cleveland has set a date to announce his commitment.

Matthew Cleveland would be a great addition to Kansas basketball’s 2021 recruiting class, which currently features just one prospect. He’s rated as a four-star recruit by both 247Sports and Rivals, and both outlets rank him inside the top 25 for the 2021 recruiting class.

Cleveland is set to announce his commitment on Tuesday at 2:00 PM central time, and he’ll be choosing between five schools: Kansas, Florida State, NC State, Michigan, and Stanford. Cleveland also holds offers from schools like Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Purdue, Maryland, Louisville, Kansas State, Iowa State, and Oklahoma.

In terms of predictions, seven experts on Rivals are predicting Cleveland to be a Seminole, while one expert on 247Sports has logged a Crystal Ball prediction in favor of Florida State. It’s fair to say that the Seminoles are the favorite to land Cleveland as of now, but don’t count out the Jayhawks yet.

Kansas is the only blue blood program to offer Cleveland so far, plus the Jayhawks have developed multiple great shooting guards during the Bill Self era. Florida State is a respectable program as of late, but hopefully Kansas can sell Cleveland on the success the program has sustained over many years.

If Kansas can get Cleveland to join the Jayhawks, that’d be huge for the 2021 class. Jerry Meyer of 247Sports says Cleveland is “an explosive athlete with top notch body control.” and a “slasher who specializes in making tough shots.” Meyer does note that Cleveland needs to improve his range, but also points out that he defends well.

Standing at six-foot-six, Cleveland is also big for his position, which would give Self some flexibility in how he’s used on the court.

Kansas basketball fans will likely be eagerly anticipating Cleveland’s announcement despite the fact that Florida State seems to be the frontrunner. Even if the Jayhawks do lose out to Florida State or one of the other schools, at least he won’t be in the same conference as Kansas.