Winston Caps Legacy with 1st Jesuit Title
March 26, 2016
By Bill Khan
Special for Second Half
EAST LANSING — By most measures, Cassius Winston had a highly successful high school basketball career.
He was a four-year starter on a Detroit U-D Jesuit team that reached the Breslin Center three times, earning a scholarship to Michigan State University and the Mr. Basketball Award.
But Winston didn't become great by settling for less than perfection.
And now he has what is undeniably the perfect ending to a glorious career.
Embracing the pressure of performing on the biggest stage in the sport, Winston scored 31 points and dished out nine assists in the Cubs' 69-49 victory over North Farmington in the MHSAA Class A championship game Saturday at the Breslin Center.
It was the first MHSAA title for U-D Jesuit, which romped through the Class A tournament to complete a 28-0 season. The Cubs had never gone as far as the Quarterfinals until Winston led them to Semifinal appearances in 2014 and 2015 before taking them all the way this season.
Winston's legacy is now complete.
"I believe in order for you to say you were one of the best high school players or whatever — and I may not be one of the best — but to say you had a completely successful high school career, you have to win championships," Winston said.
Winston lived up to his considerable hype, going 14 for 16 on the court he will call home as a college player. He drove to the basket at will, while also going 2 for 3 from 3-point range.
"It's definitely a good feeling, knowing that I'm capable of playing that way in this gym," Winston said. "The past couple times, it didn't look too good on this floor, but today I got it going. It's just the perfect moment. State championship. Great game. Then I'm headed right back here in a couple months, so it's the perfect way to end it."
Winston is the first to recognize that he would not have enjoyed a perfect ending to his career without a strong supporting cast. Scott Nelson scored 13 points off the bench, Ikechukwu Eke had 10 points and 13 rebounds, and Gregory Eboigbodin had eight points and eight rebounds for the Cubs.
"Everything you want in a basketball team, we have," Winston said. "We have Matt Schearer. I don't think he took a shot today, maybe one. He doesn't mind. He's gonna play defense, he's gonna get rebounds, he's gonna do what you need to do. We've got Ike and Greg, who average 10 points and 10 rebounds. We've got dudes who come off the bench. Everything you like in your basketball team, we have this year. That's why we became successful."
The Cubs became the first Detroit Catholic League school to win the Class A championship since Detroit Catholic Central in 1976. The Catholic League had won two titles over three seasons at that time, with Birmingham Brother Rice winning in 1974.
"Eight years ago, I sat in front of a search committee and I told them I thought U of D was a great place," said Pat Donnelly, who has a 142-42 record in eight seasons with the Cubs. "It had the academics. It had great tradition. I thought this was a place we could win a state championship.
"I have to give credit to the guys who have played in our program from the time I got there, how they accepted me, accepted a culture change in how I operate and how we operate as a program. Every year, we've gotten better."
Jesuit never trailed, scoring the first six points of the game on baskets by three players.
Perhaps the biggest indication it wasn't North Farmington's day came when it had a chance to take its only lead – and a dunk off a steal missed with 53 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Cubs, who were leading 16-15 at the time, responded by scoring eight straight points to begin a 14-2 run.
North Farmington got within 34-27 late in the first half, but Jesuit scored the final five points of the half to take a 39-27 lead into the break.
By halftime, Winston had 22 points on 10 for 11 shooting.
"We felt like if we could try to keep Cassius out of the paint, we'd give ourselves a chance," North Farmington coach Todd Negoshian said. "That's the best I've seen him play in four years. I don't know if it was the big stage or his final game, but that's the Cassius Winston that's going to Michigan State."
North Farmington couldn't get closer than 12 points in the second half, that coming when Jacob Joubert hit a 3-pointer with 6:43 left in the third quarter. A 9-3 run after that gave the Cubs a comfortable cushion the rest of the way.
Nelson scored eight of his 13 points in the fourth quarter to help Jesuit maintain a safe margin over the Raiders.
Billy Thomas, who had 21 points in the Semifinals as a sophomore at Jesuit two years ago, led North Farmington with 23 points.
"That's my brother," Winston said of Thomas. "I want the best for him. Of course, we're playing for a state championship, so we have to limit the best."
The Raiders were 0 for 9 from 3-point range in the first half and 5 for 24 for the game. Jesuit shot 29 for 46 (63 percent) from the floor, including 5 for 13 from beyond the arc.
The Raiders finished 24-3, reaching the championship game after never having been beyond the Regionals.
"I can't say enough about this group of kids, what they've meant to our program, what they've meant to our school and to our community," Negoshian said. "They've left an impression and a footprint, not just from a basketball standpoint, but from a life standpoint on how to behave, how to carry yourself, how to represent yourself and your family in the proper way. This goes way beyond the basketball court. There's not enough words to describe how proud I am of them."
The Boys Basketball Finals are presented by Sparrow Health System.
PHOTOS: (Top) Cassius Winston drives toward the basket during Detroit U-D Jesuit's Class A championship game win Saturday. (Middle) North Farmington's Alex Darden (31) tries to get a hand on a shot by Scott Nelson (10).
Breslin Bound: 2023-24 Boys Report Week 2
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 11, 2023
We're always on the lookout, especially at the start of a season, for teams on the rise – maybe they are bouncing back from a tough run last year or continuing to build on recent success and attempting to take the next step.
We spotted a few more as we looked back on the second week of this boys basketball season, and others are sure to emerge as we continue looking forward to more early-season big-time matchups and the showcase events that fill the December calendar.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Grand Ledge 64, Saginaw 55 The Comets are off to a 4-1 start, and this win over Saginaw (3-1) – a Division 2 semifinalist last season – was the headliner from the Moneyball Classic at Holt.
2. Grand Rapids Northview 70, Grand Rapids Catholic Central 67 Northview (2-0) reaffirmed its spot among teams to watch in West Michigan with this early win over the Cougars (1-1) at The Invite at Calvin University.
3. Detroit Cass Tech 58, Holt 51 The host Rams gave the reigning Division 1 champion Technicians one of their closer regular-season games of the last two seasons at the Moneyball Classic, but Cass Tech hung on to move to 30-1 since the start of 2022-23.
4. Ferndale 60, River Rouge 57 Since losing its opener last week to Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, Ferndale (2-1) has downed Davison by eight and handed River Rouge (2-1) this first loss of the season.
5. Grandville 59, Hudsonville Unity Christian 56 Grandville (2-0) may not be known as much for boys basketball, but could be soon. Defeating a Division 2 quarterfinalist from last season in Unity (3-2) at The Invite certainly deserves some attention.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Muskegon Reeths-Puffer (2-0) The Rockets have improved from nine to 13 to 15 wins over the last three seasons, respectively, and a 38-34 victory over Grand Haven on Friday avenged one of the 10 losses from last winter. Reeths-Puffer previously opened with a 74-67 victory over Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, still FHC’s lone loss.
Saline (3-0) Sophomore Jonathan Sanderson has opened this season scoring 40, 30 and 51 points, the 51 to lead Saline past Canton 74-72 in overtime last week. The Hornets were a solid 16-7 last season and tied with two others for second in the Southeastern Conference Red, but might be on the verge of more.
DIVISION 2
Freeland (4-0) The Falcons are the lone team to hand Grand Ledge a loss (see above), doing so to win the Petoskey Invitational before taking a major early step in the Tri-Valley Conference Red on Friday with a 54-49 win over rival Frankenmuth. After reaching the Division 2 Semifinals in 2022, Freeland finished 17-7 last season.
Grand Rapids Christian (3-0) A 60-50 win over Hudsonville on Saturday as part of The Invite at Calvin University topped off a nice run of three victories over five days for Grand Rapids Christian. The Eagles also defeated Wyoming 58-53 and Grand Rapids South Christian 58-48 as they work to build on last season’s 20-6 finish.
DIVISION 3
Laingsburg (3-0) The Wolfpack finished 25-1 last season, its only loss in a Division 3 Quarterfinal as Daniel Morrill finished his run as coach. New leader Tim Beebe has Laingsburg continuing to roll, with a 59-55 overtime win over Pewamo-Westphalia on Wednesday especially notable as P-W had won the last four Central Michigan Athletic Conference titles before the Wolfpack prevailed last winter.
McBain (3-0) After a rare down season in 2021-22, the Ramblers bounced back to go 20-6 last winter and have already avenged one of those defeats with a 63-56 win over Boyne City last week; Boyne also won 20 games last season. McBain opened Highland Conference play with an 80-49 victory over Manton as it looks to repeat as league champion.
DIVISION 4
Britton Deerfield (4-0) The Patriots have shown they can win the close ones already this winter, with Friday’s 42-41 win over Petersburg Summerfield adding to a 60-58 edging of Adrian Madison during opening week. The Summerfield win avenged last winter’s season-ending District loss to the Bulldogs as Britton Deerfield finished 9-14. B-D also has wins over Pittsford and Concord, both avenging close losses from last December.
Fruitport Calvary Christian (4-0) The Eagles earned three wins last week, perhaps most notably their 62-57 victory over Fruitport High that was reportedly the program’s first over their neighbor and avenged a 73-36 loss from opening night a year ago. Calvary also has early wins over Holton, Grand Rapids Sacred Heart and Kent City after finishing 14-10 in 2022-23.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Friday – Detroit U-D Jesuit (3-0) at Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (5-0) – The matchup is circled every season. Brother Rice won all three last winter to clinch the Catholic League Central title, with Jesuit placing second.
Friday – Iron Mountain (3-0) at Norway (3-0) – The Knights have handed reigning Division 4 champion Munising its first loss this season and will attempt to do the same for a Mountaineers team that finished 21-2 last winter.
Saturday – East Kentwood (1-1) at Saginaw (3-1) – Michael Thomas brought East Kentwood an 18-7 record in his first season as coach last winter, and this should tell some more about how much the Falcons are progressing.
Saturday – Zeeland West (2-0) vs. North Farmington (2-0) at Northville – After improving to 17 wins last season, Zeeland West has lined up an early-season matchup with one of the top teams of the last few at the Northville Winter Shootout.
Saturday – Ann Arbor Huron (0-0) vs. Detroit Edison (1-1) at Northville – After finishing 23-3 last winter, Huron will cap its first week of games this season with this 8 p.m. matchup at the Winter Shootout.
MHSAA.com's weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTOS (Top) Cadillac works to clog the lane during its 53-38 win over Mount Pleasant. (Middle) Goodrich and Clio face off Friday, with the Martians going on to a 71-34 victory. (Top photo by High School Sports Scene. Middle photo by Terry Lyons.)