Winston Aims to Lift Teammates, Spartans

By Adam Mackey
MSU Athletic Communications

Michigan State junior point guard Cassius Winston is known to excel on and off the basketball court. And he surprises no one while doing so.

Winston shone academically at University of Detroit Jesuit High School, a private school known for its rigorous curriculum. Tommy Amaker, head basketball coach at Harvard, wanted Winston to be the Crimson's point guard of the future.

Winston chose Michigan State and is pursuing a business degree, possibly in supply chain management.

On the court, his vision and intuition give him an edge unlike few others Tom Izzo has had at Michigan State. Last season, he led the Big Ten in total assists (241) and three-point shooting percentage (49.7 percent), along with finishing second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.8) and free-throw percentage during conference play (90 percent).

This season, Winston is averaging 18.0 points and 7.4 assists through the first 16 games, including 18.2 points and 8.0 assists in Big Ten games. His 31 minutes per game average is an increase from the 28.1 a season ago and leads the team.

Winston knows that every single minute he's on the floor is crucial for the Spartans.

"I want to be a dominant force in this conference," Winston said. "I want to be able to lead this team every night, getting us to play to the best of our abilities."

Junior captain Joshua Langford came to Michigan State with Winston, and has watched his classmate mature.

"As a young man, he understands how to be responsible and be the guy that people depend on," Langford said. "I think he's matured with his game and with his body, since he's gotten stronger. He's gotten better with so many different things on the court."

Tum Tum Nairn Jr. graduated after last season, meaning Winston could move into the biggest leadership role he has had yet in a Spartan uniform. Nairn left a big impact on Winston, serving as a mentor and a big brother.

"Tum Tum has meant a lot for my career, helped me grow in a lot of ways," Winston said.

The mentorship is now full circle for Winston, as he is the big brother for freshman back-up point guard Foster Loyer. The two have a lot in common, as both are former Michigan Mr. Basketball Award winners and came to MSU as widely-heralded recruits.

"I hope to do the same for Foster as Tum Tum did for me," Winston said. "One day, he's going to be one of the greats wearing that Spartan uniform. Might as well help him out as much as I can."

The Winston-Loyer bond grew stronger in the Spartans' 82-78 overtime loss at Louisville on Nov 27. Winston fouled out, with 4:01 left in regulation, and felt like he blew it.

"It was terrible," Winston said of fouling out during an important stretch of the game. "The things I could do for the team, ways I could help. That's my job for the team and I wasn't out there to help them."

Loyer ran the Spartan offense to conclude the game, with Winston on the bench shouting encouragement. He turned his frustration of fouling out into a support moment for his young teammate. Loyer missed a crucial free throw in the waning seconds of regulation, and the Spartans went on to lose in overtime.

"That game was a learning experience for him," Winston said. "I had plenty of those as a freshman, there's nothing wrong with them. He's going to get better from there. He's right there. He made some good plays in that game. If he would've hit a couple free throws, this is a whole different conversation.

"He did a good job out there, he held it down and put us in a situation to win that game."

Izzo took notice of Winston's maturity and leadership that night.

"I thought Cassius was unbelievable," Izzo said. "He was Foster's biggest fan, in the huddles, stuck with him before and after the game. I was really impressed with that. They've had a good relationship, but I think it even got a little bit stronger. I give a lot of credit to Cassius for that."

Winston is trying to lift up his teammates, while at the same time improving his game. He is still learning and looking to get stronger at the point.

"Some things I can't do," Winston said. "Sometimes I have to give up two (points), things like that that I have to be better with focusing on during the game. My mentality is ok to play in that moment. Just have to be smarter, be on the floor."

Michigan State University Athletics

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Joshua Langford

Foster Loyer

Cassius Winston

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