Post-Game Quotes: Binghamton

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo

Opening statement…
Let me first say, I know you guys all have a job to do and as you know it's been hell and high water. We don't close our place very often and we just did it because of Cassius' family down there and for him. That won't last long. We'll have some other players here. My message to the team was to play with a broken heart. You always look at it like you want to play for somebody and this and that. These guys' hearts were broken. I've coached a lot of games in my career but this was by far my most difficult day; it really was. I got word shortly after midnight and spent the next four or five hours at the hotel with Cassius and his family. He did come to the shoot around for a little bit. I did not know if he was going to play. I didn't even know how to handle it, if I was to be very blunt and honest with you. All I told him was that we'll support him either way no matter what you do. I guess if I was to be honest, I expected him not to play. But everyone grieves in a different way and we left it 100 percent up to Cassius with total support from every coach, every player and every member of our athletic department. As many of you know, Cassius' brothers are the world to him. I've never seen a kid over the years that was as close with his brothers. Zachary (Winston) grew up with the team so much. He grew close with all the guys. So, what happened is they are trying to be strong for Cassius, but they're all friends with Zachary too. He spent a lot of the summer here. He's just like a member of our team. For Cash, there's a bond there. We all can say that our brothers and sisters are important and our parents are important. If you saw those three guys, it was a bond that was closer than close. When you're a coach, you're trained to see a problem and then you fix it; that's what you do. We see problems and we try to fix them. But, in this case, there was nothing that you can say or do to make anything better. So, all we did was tell Cassius that we're going to support him. We told his mom and dad. We told his brother, Khy (Winston), that we're going to support them. It's going to get a little tougher. Sometimes, as I've learned from people I've talked to today, you can sometimes get an adrenaline rush. Whatever his was, because he was spectacular… The assist he made in that first half, I caught myself saying, "Wow." The support we gave him and his family has been special, and I think he appreciates it. As far as the game goes, we got off to a great start. Mostly him (Cassius) getting people the ball. I thought our five starters looked really connected tonight. It seemed like the ball was moving better and we were getting around things better. We're pretty good defensively. They did hit some three's after the first five minutes and then they started offensive rebounding a bit. We had a little let down when we got up 27 or 25 or whatever it was. I was surprised… I didn't think this was Kentucky, but I think this is a better team than they played. I don't know if they didn't play well tonight… It's hard for them, too. Those coaches before the game… You talk about class people. They all came down and said how bad they felt. They all wanted to say something to Cassius. That's a pretty class group. Speaking of that, I got texts from all sorts of players and coaches from all over the country today. We didn't shoot it great. We did early, but then we took some bad three's. We rebounded it pretty well with plus 15. I thought that the stat of the day for an Izzo coached team is four turnovers, is un-American. I guess that's a new standard to try to live by. But those four turnovers made a difference because we wanted to get in the high 60's for shots up and we got 74 shots up. That's the difference in turning it over 16 times against Kentucky and four tonight. So, if there's questions, I'll be more than happy to take them. I thought we got a lot of ball out of a lot of players. We'll see what happens from here on.

On why Cassius decided to play…
I don't know the answers to that. I'm supposed to know all the answers. I was with Cassius from midnight until four last night, I was with him from 9 a.m. this morning for a while and then he spent a lot of time with his parents and I saw him a little bit at the shoot around. I saw him just a little bit before the game, but it wasn't questions I was asking. I knew his dad wanted to be at the game and Khy did, but I didn't get into all that. I had to give him his space. I just felt like he just needed his time and so we didn't discuss a lot of things except if he wanted to play or not, where his parents wanted to sit if they came at all and that was about it to be honest with you.

On trying to lead his team through these times…
I don't think I led the team. I think Cassius did and he did it not with his words, he just did it with his actions. When he walked into the shoot around 15 minutes after we got started, I was shocked; I was. I've talked to a couple people today that are a lot better at figuring these things out than I am and they say every individual responds differently and that's what makes it so difficult. All you can do is give them their support, but at the same time I think you look at a coach and you feel that kids are always asking for answers and I just couldn't give him any answers. The support was good. There was a lot of love in that locker room and a lot of love in that arena, but it's going to have to probably double because I think the road gets a little tougher for him as things wear off as we've all gone through losing loved ones. Thank god most of them were older, that I know of, and when they're that young, it's just something that is difficult.

On how he'll get his guys back on track emotionally…
There will be a lot of talking. There will be a lot of just spending time trying to read people. I told them you can play with a broken heart; there is nothing wrong with admitting that. I also told them I'm going to try and coach you the same way because the hardest part of life that I'm learning, is it never stops, it just keeps going. Somebody dies, and somebody is born. You know, I think I knew that all my life, but when it hits home a little differently you really look at it in a different way. So what am I going to do? I'm going to coach him, but I promise you my staff's going to spend a lot of time with them and with Cash because there'll be some lonely nights and there will be some questions; you know, the why's that we all ask when things happen. I'm sure they'll be asked, and I just got to be there to support him and I will be.

On how he'll remember Zachary Winston…
Big smile; maybe a little more talkative than some of them, some of the Winston's. Just a great kid. He was so happy that we had that game here and it so sad that he couldn't play, but so happy that he could be a part of it and see all his boys and see his parents… just the joy of having three sons on the same court and all those things. I think Cash said it best last night late when him and his brother were sitting there; just got to believe he's in a better place and we just try to support that.

On the emotions of the day…
I'll be honest with you, last night I went over there right when I got the phone call and I did a pretty good job last night. This morning I had to address my team at 10 o'clock breakfast and do as good a job then. I just told them how proud I was of them, that I didn't think I'd have the mental toughness to be able to do what he did, and he just said thanks. I said I'll just try and get you back in there, maybe you can shoot the ball once or twice because you didn't take many shots and he did smile. He was very connected; very connected in the huddles and I mean again, I don't know. You never know until it happens to you, but the intestinal fortitude he showed to be able to do what he did at the level he did it at, is truthfully unbelievable I think for as close and as big a loss as it was in a short period of time, was unbelievable.

On Cassius viewing Michigan State as a safe place…
Something happened at the end of our shoot around today; we go from our shoot around to our pre-game meal and I got everybody off and I had to meet with the TV people that were doing the game tonight and Cash stayed out there and shot a little bit with Khy and Reggie. I've seen that so many times, the three of them in the gym, whether it be back at U of D high school, whether it be at Michigan State. You know, Reggie runs a rec center, that's how they were brought up, that's what they do. I just went out and told them, I said, this is probably where you're supposed to be, even though I don't know if I could do it, but it probably is. I think you said it very well; it's not only the coaches and the players, but the community. You know, I was proud of Michigan State and proud of our community tonight because there was a warm feeling and it made me feel good.

On processing the loss of someone as a coach…
I remember reading something about the most stressful things and losing a child, I think was number one on the list. I don't think… Heaven forbid, if anyone's in here, but I don't think many of us could understand all that would be, but I'll close by saying this: You always talk about how fragile life is. You know, I've been told for 60 years that every day you wake up, you're blessed, you're lucky. The only one that says it on the daily basis for me is Tum Tum (Nairn), but it is fragile. It kind of makes you reassess and think how much you should appreciate the opportunities you have, because none of us do. None of us. Complain about our jobs. I get to be at a place and watch a kid go through this and think that I have a chance to help him, it's incredible, but when you leave here tonight… whoever it is, son, daughter, older mother, father, wife or husband, it would do you good to tell them you love them and you appreciate them. It would do you a lot of good that any of the people closest to you that you say that. That you say it and you say it and you say it, because one morning you wake up and everything is one way and by 9 o'clock that night, everything is another way; and then you don't get a chance to say it. So, I told my team after I loved every one of them. I told them that I was proud of Marcus Bingham because last night when I got to the hotel, Cash had just found out and he was in Mike Garland's room. We had a coach stay there the night before and they were all in the room, so I took Cash and went downstairs and him and I sat there and waited for his brother to come and Marcus Bingham, I was told later, stood up, and Marcus doesn't say a word. He said everybody in this room, go to your room and call your family members and tell them you love them. Now for Marcus to say that, you don't understand it because you don't know him that well, but it was like, I said to Mike, "Who said that?" Sometimes you got to make and learn and grow from positive things and negative things. Last night I probably grew as a coach, as a person, as a father. Just do what I said. I know sometimes you don't like to do what I say, but this is one time; do what is say. You will be better off. Thank you for the way you handled everything, and you know, talk to our guys, but it's going to be hard for them to answer a lot questions, but you're open to do what you got to do. I promise you the locker rooms will always be open at Michigan State. Thank you.

Michigan State redshirt senior guard Kyle Ahrens and junior forward Xavier Tillman

On how the team handled the passing of Zachary Winston…

Tillman: "It was hard for everybody, just knowing that we lost someone who was so close and near and dear to us was kind of hard to swallow and to keep moving forward. I think we did a good job today of just being there. Every time we left the huddle, it was about family and being together. That just kind of helped us get through today."

Ahrens: "Just what X said. It's been a really hard 24 hours. Just always being there with Cassius has been our main focus because he's our brother and so is Zach. He's so close to us each and every way. Just always having his back and their families' back."

On if it was important to Ahrens to hold on to Winston during the moment of silence for Zachary…

Ahrens: "Yeah, he started to break down a little bit. He needs to know that he's not alone and that we're here for him each and every way. He's our brother, he's family. That's pretty much what that was."

On what Zachary Winston was like…

Tillman: "If I were to describe him, I would say that he's one of the kindest most up hearted people I've ever met. He's just always happy, he's always smiling. He always made you feel good when you were around him. He wasn't a selfish guy, he didn't talk about his problems a lot at all. He just was always focused on everybody else and making sure everyone else was good. Selfless and a great human being."

Ahrens: "He just always had a smile on his face when he was around us and put smiles on our faces. He always knew how to make us feel good. He always asked us how we were doing. He was a brother."

On what they thought of Marcus Bingham's message to the team to call your loved ones and tell them that you love them…

Ahrens: "I don't know about everyone else, but I went and called my mom and dad right away. I talked to them and all of my brothers and sister. It's just something that you don't think will happen until it does. Basketball is basketball, it's so much more than basketball. That's why we're there for Cassius, it's so much more than basketball.

Tillman: "From Marcus' standpoint, it was kind of huge to hear him say that. He stepped up and wasn't just being the funny guy, but being the mature guy that we can count on day-in and day-out. That's something that he's been showing these last couple of days. Huge growth and huge maturity. It's going to be big for us and him moving forward.

On how they have been processing this within their own families…

Tillman: For me personally, I try not to say "if this was my child or if this was my sibling," because I would start breaking down right there. For Cash's family, the only thing that we can do is just be there for him. If he wants a laugh, laugh with him. If he wants a cry, cry with him. If he needs a hug, hug him. Any and everything that they need, we give it to them.

Ahrens: Yeah, he hit that right on. I always have his back. Whenever he needs something, he can just speak up to us. I'm always there. Twenty-four seven… That's what this program is about. Ten, twenty years down the road, we're going to hit each other up. We're brothers at the end of the day. We're family.

On how together this team is and what it means…

Tillman: There's no other school that I'd rather be than Michigan State. First and foremost, the way we handle ourselves. The way the coaches help us come from young men to men is unlike any other school that I've been recruited by. They just make sure that we get the job done each and every day. They teach us discipline. They teach us class. They teach us togetherness, and that's something that's going to be really big for us. Not only moving forward in basketball, but moving forward in life.

Ahrens: We're all family here. That was a big reason why I came here… the family atmosphere. Just when you're here, you know you have guys you've never met in your life and you walk away from this program with your best friends. We're all family.

On the time leading up to the game and how that was…

Tillman: I think the biggest thing for us for that hour was coach gave us the message and said, "we're not going to fake our feelings". We're dealing with heartbreak and we're not going to play through heartbreak, but we're going to play with heartbreak. We can't lose that feeling and try to hide it just because it's a game. If you feel that it's okay to feel that way. So, it kind of helped me in the basketball game with such a crazy environment like this because it kind of got my mind off from everything that happened. I was just having fun in the game with my guys, so that was huge.

Ahrens: He hit it spot on. Just the message coach said to us before the game. The heartbreak. It was spot on. At the end of the day, it's so much more than basketball. Someone like Cash, he comes around here every day having a smile on his face. He makes days where we're struggling… he makes our days way better just by putting a smile on his face and just to see him go through something like this... It hurts all of us. Zach was a brother. We just have to take it from there.

Binghamton head coach Tommy Dempsey

Opening statement…
First of all, I would like to start by acknowledging Cassius (Winston); the tragedy in his family and how much we feel for him and his family and Michigan State, the community. There's not a lot of words, I just want to say that we are praying for them and that we are behind him. As far as the game goes, just a tough matchup for us. There's just not a lot of answers when they get clicking like that and the physicality is just not what we see day in and day out. We had a hard time adjusting to it. I was proud of our kids. I thought they competed start to finish and we just played a superior team.

On what the team takes away from this game…
Well again I think your job is to make sure your kids come in and compete. Although the scoreboard might not look like they did, I felt like our guys fought and they were working start to finish. You just got a really good team and I thought we had some moments. We only have one senior and he went out of the game with a concussion two minutes into the game and he's our most physical guy, so that didn't help. Other than that, we had all freshmen and sophomores in the game so it's a young team that learned a valuable lesson today just about the difference in level.

On if a game like this helps Binghamton…
I think it helps you; more than anything when you get back out there, we will go to Columbia on Wednesday and it doesn't look quite like that. So, I always think you will learn. We tried to learn through the scouting, I tried to teach with our young team through watching Michigan State. Watching the way they advance the ball in transition, watch the way their bigs run to the rim, watching how physical and hard they run through their sets, their positioning on defense - the fact that they just don't make a lot of mistakes. Young teams make a lot of mistakes and when you're trying to become a good team, victory favors the team that makes the fewest mistakes; young teams make a lot of mistakes, so we really watched them, studied them and hopefully that will help our guys as we move forward.

On Cassius Winston's play…
I think he would know better than me, my initial reaction was that this is his family and that he was better served being out here and doing what he does with the community behind him and his teammates behind him and his coaches behind him. You know, he's going to have his time to grieve and it's going to be tough, but that had to be very powerful for the young man tonight to be around all these people that love him. So, I think that was probably part of the decision to play, but again you would have to ask Tom (Izzo) and Cassius.

Players Mentioned

Kyle Ahrens

Xavier Tillman Sr.

Cassius Winston