EAST LANSING — He looked light and bouncy from the start. Not that anyone ever accused Cassius Winston of playing on air, above the rim.
No, his charisma and influence on the basketball court is more earthbound, arising from what and how he sees. He slows the game, as they say, and bends it toward its own ambling pace.
We took it for granted that Winston plays basketball unlike almost no other in the college game. Until that skill disappeared six weeks ago, after the Michigan State point guard lost his brother, Zachary Winston, to suicide.
Winston didn’t want to be on the court for a while after he lost his brother.