"He keeps a complete balance between the coach and the players," Tom Izzo said last weekend. "That’s what makes him so special."
To understand Winston, simply rewind this Tournament.
There he was in Des Moines, stepping between Izzo and Aaron Henry during a tense moment in a tight game. There he was two days later, emerging from the shadows to snuff out Minnesota. There he was in Washington D.C., winning a matchup with the athletically-superior Tremont Waters. There he was two days later, outrunning Zion Williamson in the final seconds of Michigan State's biggest win in years.
© Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports And between those two moments, Winston spoke in the locker room about growth and gratitude, and how greatness is possible through both.
"Cassius Winston did the best job of anybody after the game. He was a man," said Izzo. "He was a leader. He rallied everybody in that room."
At a time when the words can be so hard to find, when most players can only shake their heads and swallow hard, Winston chose the right ones. Izzo stood there and watched him, and felt Magic Johnson and Mateen Cleaves within his presence.
"He just talked to them about, we gotta learn from what we didn't do right and thanked everybody for helping him have the most amazing year personally, but him enjoying the journey with this team, because this was a connected team," Izzo said. "I think most teams that go far in the Tournament have good chemistry, but this one was really connected. It just didn’t work out for us.
"But he handled it like a Magic, like a Mateen, like the guys that needed to. And I think he's still got a lot of things he'd like to accomplish, I really do."
"I want to win a championship," he said. "I want to do that on each and every level. When I leave my mark on Michigan State I want to be known as a winner, and you can't do that without that last piece."
No matter what happens next year, Winston has already established himself as one of this program's great leaders. There's a good chance his No. 5 will one day hang from the rafters at the Breslin Center, alongside Magic's No. 33 and Mateen's No. 12. His case grew stronger over the past few weeks, first in Des Moines, then in D.C. and then in Minneapolis, even in the season's darkest hour.
Next to Winston's locker inside U.S. Bank Stadium was that of Gabe Brown, the freshman who helped propel Michigan State past LSU in the Sweet 16. The Spartans needed him again Saturday night, and this time Brown couldn't deliver. He was in over his head on the biggest stage, and afterward he could hardly lift his gaze off the ground. There were tears when he did.
And there was a voice he needed to hear in the neighboring stall.
"It’s funny, Cassius said something to me when we were talking about Gabe," said Izzo. "Poor Gabe was the deer in the headlights. The kid works hard, but just not experienced enough right now. And Cash says, 'Maybe that’s good. Gabe will learn form this.'
"I wish I could be a coach that could explain to my players, don’t ever think about next year because it may never come. And Cassius looked at me and said, 'You know, Coach. You’re right.' And it’s hard for kids, especially when you're 18 or 19 and you got three years left. You always think there's a tomorrow."
Not long ago, Winston was in the same spot, a freshman bounced from the Tournament in humbling fashion. Tomorrow wasn't promised, but he made sure it arrived. Brown can do the same, and it's likely Winston will help him.
This team's undisputed leader doesn't sound done leading.
"The freshmen are going to use this. I'm going to use this," he said. "When it’s time to get back to work, you remember this feeling. You remember the highs, you remember the lows, and you want to cut down on the lows as much as possible."
In a season full of highs, Michigan State hit its low Saturday night. And there was Winston, lifting them up one more time.