Rylee Cleveland Went From Running JV to Running Her Own Varsity Team
The Class of 2028 point guard spent her freshman year at Creekside running JV. Now she leads Newnan's offense — and she's coming back to Creekside in December.
Sometimes the opportunity you wanted isn't the opportunity you needed.
For Rylee Cleveland, her freshman season at Creekside could have easily become a reason to get discouraged. She wanted varsity minutes, but Creekside already featured an experienced group of guards — C'India Dennis, Sydnee Hunter, Jacy Mitchell and others competing for every opportunity.
Instead, Cleveland spent much of her freshman season playing JV.
Looking back, that may have been one of the most important parts of her development.
Rather than standing on the sideline waiting for varsity minutes, Rylee got the basketball in her hands. She learned how to bring the ball up the floor, make decisions, organize teammates and run her own team.
Now at Newnan High School, that experience is paying off.
Cleveland has become Newnan's point guard, and the player who once had to fight simply to get on the court is now being trusted to lead a varsity offense.
The journey hasn't been easy.
Because of her height, Rylee has often been one of the smallest players on the floor. She spent years playing against girls who were older, taller and physically stronger. During one game when she was younger, the size difference became concerning enough that a coach removed her for her safety.
Rylee was furious. She barely spoke to the coach for weeks.
That reaction tells you something about the competitor inside her. Where someone else saw danger, Rylee saw basketball. She wanted to compete regardless of who was standing across from her.
That same fight now shows up in the numbers.
318 points. 138 steals. 93 rebounds. 61 assists. No. 1 in 5A Region 3 in steals.
2025–26 season · 29 games
During the 2025–26 season, Cleveland recorded 318 points, 138 steals, 93 rebounds and 61 assists, while finishing No. 1 in 5A Region 3 in steals. Her MaxPreps profile lists averages of 11.8 points, 4.9 steals, 3.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists across 29 games.
At her size, nearly five steals per game deserves attention.
But those numbers also tell only part of the story.
Rylee's journey has been about persistence. She wasn't handed varsity minutes as a freshman. She didn't stop. She wasn't the biggest player. She didn't stop. She competed against older players, waited for opportunities and kept developing.
And now she's running the show.
That makes December 11, 2026 particularly interesting.
Newnan is currently scheduled to travel to Creekside, putting Cleveland back in the gym where her high school journey began — except this time she won't be the freshman running JV. She'll return as Newnan's point guard.
There is still plenty of basketball ahead for a Class of 2028 guard, but Rylee Cleveland has already shown what can happen when a player refuses to allow an early role to define her future.
Sometimes being overlooked gives you two choices. You can walk away. Or you can keep working until they have no choice but to see you.
Rylee Cleveland chose the second.