Head Coach Michael Lewis and the Ball State men's basketball program added Kaiyem Cleary as part of the 2022 recruitment class. Cleary is a junior college transfer from Florida SouthWestern State and will be immediately eligible to play for the Cardinals in 2022-23.
Cleary, the Manchester, England, native, spent the last two seasons with the Buccaneers. He looks to add depth at the guard position for the Cardinals. He will add explosiveness and athleticism as a versatile playmaker. He dropped a career-high 27 points against Spartanburg Methodist on November 20, 2021, and he recorded a career-high seven 3-pointers made.
He was named to the 2021-22 Southern Conference all-conference second team. During the 2021-22 campaign, Cleary was second on the FSW squad as he averaged 11.6 points per game and brought down 4.9 rebounds per game, which was also second on the team. He finished the season with 1.2 assists per game and averaged 1.0 blocks per game. He shot 43.8 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from 3-point range last season.
During the summer of 2019, Cleary was a member of the Great Britain FIBA U20 team. He produced a team-high 17 points in Great Britain's game against Croatia on July 21, 2019. He added five rebounds, a steal, and a block in the same game.
From Ball State Head Coach Michael Lewis
"We are very excited about Kai's athleticism and versatility on both ends of the floor. He has a unique maturity level because of his basketball journey and we look forward to welcoming him as a member of our program."
From Florida SouthWestern State Head Coach Eric Murphy
"We are very excited for Kai. Going D1 is why he came to FSW and now he's going to get that opportunity. Kai is a phenomenal athlete, has great length and can make shots. I think Ball State is a great fit for him and Coach Lewis has a plan and vision for Kai athletically and academically. We are very happy for him!"