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He's got the fever.
Indiana Fever, that is.
Rob Cleveland, 23, a 1995 Warsaw Community High School graduate and a 1999 Ball State University graduate, was recently hired as the video coordinator for a WNBA expansion team, the Indiana Fever.
"That's going to be my main job. Breaking down the coach's video," Cleveland said.
Tuesday, he just happened to be watching WNBA video to familiarize himself with the style of play.
The videos he will break down for Indiana Fever Coach Ann Donovan isn't what one may see on TNT or ESPN. Rather, the video focuses on the half-court and shows all ten players on the court, which Cleveland will use to help the coaches break down plays and player tendencies. A "scouting report" on video, he said.
"I will assume there are going to be some things we're going to look for each week," he said, like who shoots from the three-point arc and how accurate the shooter is from there.
As for the rest of Cleveland's job, he said it's up in the air. It will include assisting in basketball operations and a hodgepodge of other responsibilities.
Since August, he was the Ball State football team's video coordinator while a graduate assistant.
When the job position with the Indiana Fever as a "sports information guy" came open, Cleveland applied. The organization decided not to have that position but to have a video coordinator position, "which I fit into," Cleveland said.
He began "courting" the position since November, he said.
Eventually, he met Pacers President Donnie Walsh. He met Donovan (a national and Olympic champion, Cleveland points out) and he met the chief operations officer several times. "She's in charge of the whole operations. She's it. She's in charge."
From his first interview, Cleveland said he realized the organization was looking for the best person for the job. Not someone's son or daughter, not a friend of the family, but the best person for the job.
"There's not a better group of people to work for. They're all very nice," Cleveland said.
When he received the call, he said he was sitting in an office at Ball State. He was speechless. He's not sure he heard everything he was told, due to his level of excitement.
"I was very surprised," Cleveland said. "Very happy. I was pretty excited."
He said he'll probably have to work 70 hours a week, and if that's what it takes to help the team win, that's what it takes.
Currently living in Muncie, the only obstacle left for Cleveland is finding an affordable apartment in Indianapolis.
