So 48 points. Cassius Winston can be very satisfied with this season opener, with his first two games for FC Bayern: 25 points on Saturday in the home game against Ulm, which Munich won 87:80, 23 on Monday in the away game in Frankfurt, which 83:74 for the Bavarians ended. Winston was the top scorer in both games, which were also his debut in Europe for the basketball pro from Detroit. And not only once did the fast, agile American flash his skills.
Against Frankfurt, he demoted three opposing defenders to slalom poles in the second quarter, dribbled into the zone and casually put the ball in the basket. Just like he had shown against Ulm a few times before. His development game: clear. His eye for the teammates: sharp. Additionally, Winston is gifted with a fine touch from distance and from the free-throw line. Statistically, the 24-year-old hit seven out of eleven shots from the field against Frankfurt, seven out of seven free throws, and he also had three assists (and lost three balls).
The Munich team owes their successful start primarily to Winston’s goals – especially in the game against the Skyliners. There they were already ahead by 25 points when things went haywire at the end of the third quarter. “We’ve become lame and superficial, arrogant. My team has to understand that they have to respect Frankfurt for 40 minutes instead of just 27,” said their coach Andrea Trinchieri. He probably didn’t mean Winston. He also hit his last free throws shortly before the end.
Like his colleagues, Winston had Tuesday off, but whoever bothered him with a few questions he still sent a short voice message. In his deep, mumbling Detroit accent, he spoke of a life that’s almost clichéd for a city kid in the United States who comes into contact with basketball and begins to absorb the sport. And from a heavy stroke of fate.
“I played everywhere. It didn’t matter, I just played a lot. Basketball was my first love.”
In any case, Winston grew up in Detroit in one of the better areas, “there are also bad areas there, Detroit is Detroit”. As a boy he played basketball wherever he could, outside on the street, inside, “I played everywhere. It didn’t matter, I just played a lot. Basketball was my first love,” says Winston. Cassius, the kid, was small, but he wanted to be better, “better than anyone else on the field. I’m not the greatest, so I had to use other strengths. Or change the tempo.”
He was named “Mr. Basketball of Michigan” in high school in 2016, and he received a regular spot in the NCAA college league with his Michigan State team. In his last two years there, he averaged more than 18 points per game – and piqued the interest of NBA scouts. Especially when he reached the NCAA Final Four with Michigan State in 2019. Everything went well for Winston.
Until in the same year, it was already November, the most painful news of his life reached him. Zachary, his younger brother, with whom he was close, was hit by a train in Albion, Michigan and died.
Zachary was a basketball player himself, having played for Albion College. “My brother’s fate still concerns me to this day,” says Winston this Tuesday in Munich: “I know he wanted me to keep going and always try hard. He wanted me to try to be the best player and the best To become the person I can be.”
“People are nice, the city is clean, it has good energy,” says Winston of his adopted home
A day after his brother’s death, Winston was back playing college basketball for Michigan State, scoring 17 points and 11 assists in a 100-47 win over Binghamton, according to an ESPN report — and getting an ovation from the stands. “Basketball is definitely one of those places where I’m completely with myself and not thinking about the problems out there. I feel like I’m in a safe space, my head is clear,” says Winston now.
He was selected number 53 in the 2020 NBA draft and later made almost 30 short appearances for the Washington Wizards. He didn’t quite make it into the best league in the world – but then another twist of fate came. Former FC Bayern player Greg Monroe, with whom he played briefly in Washington, recommended the club from the Isar to him.
So now Winston has come to Munich, he likes it there, “the people are nice, the city is clean, it has good energy”. He still has to get used to the style of play, including Trinchieri’s training. “Lots of text!” Winston said recently at the training camp about Trinchieri’s speeches, but also: “He pushes, he expects perfection, he wants you to definitely get better – and I’m completely with him in that regard.” The European adventure is now waiting for Winston – also and especially in the Euroleague.
Speaking of which: His playfulness and his creativity are a little reminiscent of Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who stood on the floor for Bonn last season and annoyed Bayern more with his runs and three-pointers than they would have liked. This season Winston, the 1.84 meter short powerhouse, and the slim, four centimeters smaller Jackson-Cartwright, who now plays for Lyon-Villeurbanne, meet in the Euroleague. On Thursday (8.30 p.m., Audi Dome) Winston will make his debut there in the home game against Fenerbahce Istanbul, the champions of 2017.
It is a location determination for Bayern, who want to move back into the Euroleague playoffs and become German champions. And for Winston, who said when he was welcomed in Munich: “I’m a real playmaker who knows how to win games and who will give everything for it every evening.” He promised his brother.
