Cleaves to grace State backcourt From Staff and Wire Reports According to ESPN, Michigan State officials have confirmed that the school's basketball phenom, Mateen Cleaves, will return to the hardcourt on Wednesday. Despite retaining a national ranking in the top ten all season, the Spartans (9-4) have not performed up to last year's standards, having most recently fallen to no-name opponent Wright State. Cleaves will return just in time, as Michigan State begins its Big Ten season on Wednesday against Penn State. But he won't lift the team onto his shoulders immediately. Officials say he'll play only a controlled 15-20 minutes, and he won't start the game. Cleaves has missed all 13 of the Spartans' games this season after suffering a stress fracture in his right foot only weeks before the campaign began. Tom Izzo's squad hasn't been the same at the point guard spot in Cleaves' absence. David Thomas initially took over for East Lansing's fallen hero, but the shooting spot is a more natural position for him. Veteran Charlie Bell has taken over the point guard duties as of late, and Cleaves will replace him off the bench on Wednesday. Thomas, who has been ill, will be spelled by freshman, and Saginaw native, Jason Richardson at the shooting guard spot FILE PHOTO Michigan State stumbled to a 9-4 record early this season without its saviour, preseason All-American point guard Mateen Cleaves. Originally on page 7B in the 1-5-2000 issue of the Daily.