By ADAM ZAGORIA
T.J. Cleveland is expected to be the first person to join Mike Anderson’s staff at St. John’s, sources said Monday.
Cleveland will be in Atlanta at the Nike EYBL stop this weekend during the first live period.
Cleveland is Anderson’s nephew and played at Arkansas from 1998-2002. He then joined Anderson’s staff at the University of Alabama-Birmingham as a video coordinator and was named an assistant coach prior to the 2005-06 season. Cleveland then joined Anderson at Missouri for the 2006-07 season and spent five seasons with the Tigers. He then joined Anderson at Arkansas in 2011.
Cleveland has worked with seven eventual NBA players: first round draft pick Bobby Portis (Chicago Bulls), Donell Taylor (Washington Wizards), Squeaky Johnson (New Orleans Hornets), first round draft pick DeMarre Carroll (Brooklyn Nets), Kim English (Detroit Pistons), Marcus Denmon (San Antonio Spurs) and Phil Pressey (Boston Celtics). Cleveland was also a teammate of NBA All-Star Joe Johnson, as well as guard Jannero Pargo.
