East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State men's basketball junior guard Cassius Winston has been named one of 10 national semifinalists for the 2019 Citizen Naismith Trophy by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, presented to the national player of the year in men's college basketball.
The junior guard is averaging 18.8 points, 7.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 47.3 percent from the floor and 42.2 percent from 3-point land. He ranks fourth in the Big Ten Conference in scoring and leads the league, and is No. 3 in the country, in assists per game.
Winston has scored at least 20 points 16 times this year, has six double-doubles in points and assists, has handed out at least 10 assists seven times and has handed out at least six in 24 games.
He is the only player in the country averaging at least 18.0 points per game, 7.0 assists per game and connecting on at least 40.0 percent of his 3-point attempts this season.
Since 1992-93, Winston is one of only 18 Division I college basketball players to average at least 18.0 points and 7.0 assists per game, including one of three players this year (Ja Morant of Murray State and Colbey Ross of Pepperdine). Among that group of 18 players, which includes Denzel Valentine during the 2015-16 season, Winston is one of just six from a Power Six Conference.
Winston has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week a school record five times this season (Nov. 26, Dec. 31, Jan. 21, Jan. 28 and Feb. 25). He was also named the Most Valuable Player at the Las Vegas Invitational, averaging 19.5 points, 8.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds in wins over UCLA and Texas.
The four finalists will be chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's national voting academy, comprised of leading journalists from around the country, current and former head coaches, former award winners and conference commissioners, all of whom base their selections on outstanding on-court performances during the 2018-19 college basketball season.
