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NCAA Tournament Q&A: Nick Collison Cleaves Takes His Shot Sonics-Detroit Gallery Sonics News Archive

Sonics guard Mateen Cleaves was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2000 Final Four as he led the Michigan State Spartans to the NCAA Championship as a senior. Cleaves sprained his ankle during the second half of Michigan State's win over Florida in the title game, but returned to the game and finished with 18 points and four assists. That wasn't Cleaves only NCAA Tournament success, as he helped the Spartans to the Final Four during his junior season and to the Sweet Sixteen as a sophomore.

When you look back at your basketball career, is winning the NCAA Championship your best memory?
Yeah. Whenever you win a championship, that's got to be your highlight. What are you in it for? It doesn't get any better than a championship, so that's definitely my highlight.

"Running to meet my teammates in the center and jumping up and hugging them … that was the best feeling in the whole world right there." Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

Do you see anything that could top that?
Winning the NBA Championship. That's the only thing. It's not NBA playing time, it's the NBA Championship. I'm a champion. I don't care how I get that. That's the only thing that would really top that.

Would even winning an NBA title top that, given how close you were to your Michigan State teammates, including several players from your hometown of Flint, and Coach Tom Izzo?
You've got to take that into consideration, the guys I won it with and everything, but this is the highest level. If you can conquer this and win it on this level. …I won it in high school (as a sophomore at Flint Northern in 1994-95), college, so that closes the book, winning it here. I think winning it here would outweigh that just because this is the top level. It doesn't get any better than this.

Nick Collison has said that at Kansas, they took the approach that they had nothing to lose in the tournament. Did you do something similar at Michigan State?
We just played, man. Same thing. We didn't worry about the pressure. I think our coaches did a great job of downplaying the pressure. We made every game important, we took it one game at a time. That's all we did - took it one game at a time and played hard. I think a lot of teams see their bracket and overlook teams sometimes. We took it one game at a time and played hard. It went from there and it worked out for us.

Individually, did you feel a need to step up your game, particularly when you were a senior?
Oh yeah, definitely. I had that attitude for my sophomore year, when we went to the Sweet Sixteen. That was my whole attitude: Turn it up. It's different. You can't come in with the same emotion that you did throughout the year, because this is different. You've got to turn it up. That's what it's about. You've got to take your game to another level. Luckily, we did that. More than one player did that; that's why we won.

Do you remember the moment in the title game where you knew you had won the game and the championship?
Yeah. I forget the time, it might have been like two or three minutes left; we might have been up by 17 or something. Their coach started making subs, and then it was like, 'Yeah, man. I think we've pretty much got this.' Then when that time ran off that clock, I remember just watching the clock … 3 … 2 … 1 … me running to meet my teammates in the center and jumping up and hugging them. That was the best feeling in the whole world right there.

What do you think about Michigan State's chances this year?
I think they do have a good chance, man. I think right now, a lot of people are not keying on them, so that could be good. I think they have the talent to make a run, so I'm excited about them. They're young at the point guard spot (freshman Drew Neitzel starts at the point), but I think they have the guys around the young fella in the post that they can make a run. I'm excited for them. I'd definitely like to see them in the Final Four.

Who else do you like this year?
You know I've got to go Big Ten with Illinois. If Michigan State doesn't win it, I'm putting all my marbles with Illinois. See, I'm a basketball fanatic, man. I love Michigan State, like Illinois, but you've got teams like North Carolina and Wake Forest. I like them too, because I think you definitely need good guard play to win in the tournament.

How about the University of Washington?
I like them too. I've run into Tre Simmons a couple of times and been to a few of their games, and they've definitely got a bona fide shot.