Last season, Cassius Winston led Michigan State to a Big Ten Championship and a Final Four berth on his way to winning Big Ten Player of the Year. This offseason, Winston has been preparing himself mentally and physically to help the Spartans win a national title, and Tom Izzo will be relying on his leadership to take his team to that level.
While he was phenomenal last season, Winston acknowledged that an increased workload, largely due to injuries but also a result of how vital he is to the Spartans offense, left him exhausted by the end of the season:
“I was definitely tired at the end of last year. Definitely, definitely tired,” Winston told Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press. “I just spent a big summer working on my conditioning, my lower-body strength – all the type of things where I promised myself that I won’t feel that fatigue. I’m gonna push it all the way through and be OK.”
While it’s great to hear that Winston has spent much of the offseason improving his conditioning, Izzo will also be relying on Winston’s experience and leadership:
“He is one of our captains,” Izzo said last week, “and he is gonna be an important cog because he has the experience. … I think what he can do is, he’s a kid that doesn’t get nervous, you know? So I think he’ll help with a calming effect to that. What I’m hoping he does is stays even more driven, because I think players respect what he can do. And I’m hoping he leads a little better even more so than he did.”
The Spartans season will begin with an exhibition against Cassius’ brothers and the Albion College basketball team on October 29th at the Breslin Center before they head to Madison Square Garden to play Kentucky.
