Miami's Matthew Cleveland Strikes Deal with the Dallas Mavericks
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The Miami Hurricanes basketball team has gone under a full rebuild after the disaster that was last season. However, there was still a positive impact on the team under the team's leader, Matthew Cleveland.
Cleveland will now get a shot in the NBA as the Dallas Mavericks take a chance on the former five-star recruit.
Held the Canes on his back all season and while W/L record didn’t show, his leadership and poise was always there knowing that it was a terrible situation to be in. A great opportunity for him https://t.co/oxQv7mixhk
— Justice Sandle (@Justice_News5) June 27, 2025
Everyone knows how historically bad the Canes were last season, which also minimized what Cleveland did in a career year.
Among ACC players, Cleveland finished the regular season sixth in scoring (17.6), first in number of 30-point games (three), fourth in field goal percentage (.511), and fifth in number of 20-point games (14).
Cleveland was the only ACC player this year to score 30-plus points in three games. In conference play, Cleveland averaged 21.3 points, good for second among all ACC players in scoring.
The Atlanta native scored in double-figures in 21 of 28 games played this season and tallied a career-high 32 points in two games. Cleveland scored 20-plus points in seven straight games, the only Miami player to do so in the last 20 years.
Cleveland finished the season with All-ACC honors but was not placed on any team. The Canes losing so much hurt his stock, but now he has a chance to shine on the biggest stage in the NBA.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.