Feature Photo by Young Harris College

Missing an entire year due to injury is not how Carl Cleveland drew it up. The mental and physical journey to get back on the court for Young Harris College is one thing. The determination to be the dominant player he always has been – formerly at Banks County and now at Young Harris – is another.

“Coming off my injury and missing a year of playing was very difficult,” says Cleveland. “As soon as I got cleared to go it was all about training at school and then having a really big summer training with my dad. The injury was a fracture in my foot so it was really challenging to do anything besides lift upper while letting my foot heal. The process was very difficult mentally and physically getting back in game shape. Luckily, I was surrounded by people who were committed to helping me get back to the player I was and helped me through that whole process.”

Cleveland entered college and transitioned to more of a guard position with the ability to play 2-4.

“Over the last summer, I really changed my body and put on a lot of muscle to move back to the player and position that I played in high school,” says Cleveland. “I have lost a lot of weight but also changed it to help me fight with the bigs in our league. To begin the year I was seeing a ton of mismatches with smaller guards and dominating inside. As the year has gone on, I have started seeing much bigger defenders and back to seeing double and triple teams in the post.”

We all recall watching the former Leopards star score at will whether being double or triple-teamed on the wing or in the paint. He’s up to his old tricks in his fourth season for the Mountain Lions.

Cleveland is in the midst of a monster season in which the Mountain Lions are 15-10 overall as of February 17. He leads the team in scoring at 17.3 points per game, and has 7.4 boards per contest as well while shooting 49% overall and 33% from beyond the arc. He also averages 2.2 assists and 0.4 steals per game. He has 879 career points at the college level, knocking on the door of the 1,000-point club.

“To be able to reach the 1,000 point mark is a remarkable thing for me to reach,” adds Cleveland. “Growing up I always imagined being able to score 1,000 points in college just like my dad did at Emmanuel. To almost accomplish it in two years is also incredible to me even think about. I never imagined myself to be in this position and I’m truly grateful for the opportunities that I’ve been given in my college career so far.”

Cleveland is technically a redshirt sophomore. His first season was the COVID-shortened 2020-21 year in which the team played only 11 games. His 2021-22 season saw him start 22 games and play in 25 overall while averaging 15.6 points and 7.4 rebounds. His ankle injury kept him out all last season, and this year has been phenomenal. He’s had 7 double-doubles this campaign, and 12 in his collegiate career. He’s had 15 20-point games at Young Harris, and 3 30-plus point performances. Missing pretty much two seasons gives him plenty of options moving forward.

“With Covid my first year of school and then with my injury last year, I still have two years of eligibility left,” he clarifies. “I will graduate with my bachelor’s in education but I will continue playing basketball and use my eligibility.”

Cleveland had the best offensive prep career we’ve ever seen at BLITZ, scoring 2,445 career points with 1,049 rebounds, 390 assists, 116 steals, and 82 blocks as well as 57 double-doubles and 5 triple-doubles. The BLITZ Hall of Famer was a 2-time BLITZ Player of the Year, 2-time All-State selection, and 2-time Region 8-AA Player of the Year. He led the Leopards to nearly 100 wins in his four-year stint, including an Elite 8 and two Sweet 16s, adding three region titles.