EAST LANSING — It had been a while since Cassius Winston smiled like this, cupping his ear to the roaring crowd, skipping after a big shot, waving his arms, hopping into the bouncing throng of teammates.
It had been a while since he felt joy. Felt free. Felt the game slow down and bend to his cagey and indomitable whim — if only for a couple of hours.
It was easy to forget what this looked like and, more important, what it felt like. That’s understandable considering what Winston has been through the past six weeks since he lost his brother, Zachary, to suicide.