Cleveland's Honors | Career Stats
- Nike/WBCA High School All-American (1997)
- First-Team Texas Class 4-A All-State
- First-Team All-Dallas Metro Area
Nickname: A.C.
Major: Sociology
Family:
Parents, Sidney and Doris Cleveland
Sisters, Denise, 29, Yolonda, 27, and Dionne, 25
Hometown: Lancaster, Texas
High School: Lancaster
Date of Birth: March 26, 1979
Place of Birth: Dallas, Texas
2002-03 (Senior)
Amanda Cleveland was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA after missing almost three full seasons with aplastic anemia. The rare blood disorder prevents bone marrow from producing new blood cells and causes extreme fatigue.
Despite the severe illness, which hospitalized Cleveland seven games into her true freshman season at Nebraska in 1997-98, she battled her way back to the court in 2000-01, playing in 22 games.
Cleveland closed her career with her best season, ranking third on the team with 8.0 points per game and second on the squad with 6.4 rebounds per game. She also led the team and ranked fifth in the Big 12 with 1.5 blocks per contest.
The 6-2 center scored 223 points and grabbed 180 rebounds in 28 games, far surpassing the 79 points and 79 rebounds (52 games) she produced in her first five seasons. Her 42 blocked shots more than quadrupled her career total of nine entering the season. She tied for sixth on NU's single season block list and ranked eighth on career chart with 51.
Cleveland scored in double figures 12 times, and produced three double-doubles. She posted her second double-double with a career-high 18-point, 13-rebound effor in NU's win over San Diego Dec. 28, 2002. She scored 12 of her 18 points in the seoncd half to lead NU back from a 19-point second-half deficit at USD, while playing a career-high 36 minutes.
Cleveland produced her first double-double with 10 points and a career-best 15 rebounds in NU's win over Texas Southern on Dec. 9, 2002.
2001-02 (Senior)
After three years on the sideline, Amanda Cleveland made one of the most miraculous comebacks in college basketball in 2000-01 and continued her improvement as a fifth-year senior in 2001-02.
With a year of court experience and a year of conditioning, Cleveland enjoyed her most productive and healthiest season at Nebraska. She averaged 2.5 points and 2.0 rebounds per game, while playing 7.1 minutes per contest.
Cleveland appeared in 23 games, including 11 Big 12 contests. She also produced a four-point, two-rebound effort with a career-high two blocks in five minutes against Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament. She made her first career start against Colorado on Feb. 26. She shot 30.4 percent from the field and 63.2 percent from the free throw line on the season. An athletic defensive presence, Cleveland also recorded eight blocked shots and three steals.
Cleveland opened the season with a career-high 11 points in NU?s win over Southern Illinois on Nov. 16. She posted season highs with five rebounds against Colgate, Cal State Fullerton and Texas. Cleveland provided her biggest contribution during Big 12 play with her six-point, three-rebound performance at No. 4 Oklahoma.
2000-01 (Junior)
After a nearly three-year absence from the court, Cleveland returned to compete in 22 games off the bench. One of Nebraska's most athletic and physical players, Cleveland averaged 0.6 points and 0.6 rebounds in 5.2 minutes per game.
One of the Huskers' top defensive players, Cleveland grabbed seven steals and blocked one shot in her limited playing time. She also displayed a knack for getting to the free throw line, knocking down 12 of her 21 attempts (57.1 percent).
Cleveland tied her season high with three points, including her first field goal of the season, against No. 24 Baylor on Feb. 24.
1999-2000 (Sophomore)
Cleveland did not play or practice, while continuing her recovery from aplastic anemia.
1998-99 (Redshirt)
Cleveland redshirted while recovering from aplastic anemia. Cleveland's participation in drills and workouts was limited, but she continued to improve her conditioning as the year progressed.
1997-98 (Freshman)
Cleveland saw action in each of the first seven games of her Nebraska career, including a season-high 14 minutes of action in the season opener against Miami of Ohio in the first round of the Preseason WNIT, when she grabbed a career-high seven rebounds. She added two points and the only steal of the season against the Redhawks.
She grabbed two rebounds in three minutes of action in a win over Western Kentucky, and added two points and four boards in a win over Creighton.
In her final game, Cleveland scored a season-high three points and grabbed three rebounds in a win over Stetson on Nov. 28. After the game with Stetson, Cleveland began to suffer from severe fatigue and was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a condition that keeps bone marrow from producing new blood cells, in December of 1997.
After being diagnosed with the disease, Cleveland returned to Lancaster to be with her family. She spent more than a month in Kaiser Medical Center in Dallas under the care of Dr. Scott McKenzie, and spent the entire spring semester of 1998 recuperating in Texas.
Cleveland's condition improved dramatically toward the end of the spring, and she returned to classes at Nebraska for the 1998 fall semester.
High School
A Nike/WBCA High School All-American and a Street & Smith's Honorable-Mention All-American as a senior at Lancaster High School, Cleveland averaged 18.2 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game for Coach Phil Hale and the Tigers. Cleveland led Lancaster to the state semifinals as a senior and was named to the Texas Class 4-A All-State team. She was a two-time all-district pick, a Dallas all-metro pick and played in the Texas High School All-Star game in 1996-97.
Cleveland earned newcomer-of-the-year honors as a freshman basketball player for the Tigers and collected four varsity letters in basketball and two more letters in volleyball.
Personal
The daughter of Sidney and Doris Cleveland, Amanda was born on March 26, 1979, in Dallas, Texas. Amanda has three sisters, Denise, 29, Yolonda, 27, and Dionne, 25. Amanda is a sociology major.
Cleveland's Career Stats
Year
G-GS
FG-FGA
Pct.
3P-3PA
Pct.
FT-FTA
Pct.
TRB-Avg.
PF-D
A
TO
Blk
ST
Pts-Avg.
1997-98
7-0
2-8
.250
0-0
.000
3-6
.500
19-2.7
4-0
0
12
0
1
7-1.0
1998-99
Did Not Play -- Illness -- Redshirt
1999-00
Did Not Play -- Illness
2000-01
22-0
1-9
.111
0-0
.000
12-21
.571
14-0.6
24-0
3
14
1
7
14-0.6
2001-02
23-1
17-56
.304
0-0
.000
24-38
.632
46-2.0
35-0
8
19
8
3
58-2.5
2002-03 28-26 79-190 .416 0-0 .000 65-105 .619 180-6.4 99-5 11 68 42 22 223-8.0Career
80-27
99-263
.376
0-0
.000
104-170
.612
259-3.2
152-5
22
113
51
33
302-3.8