Cassius Winston to Michigan State Crowd: ‘I Lost a Piece of My Heart, but You Guys Keep Me Going’

Since the death of his younger brother Zachary on Nov. 9, Michigan State guard Cassius Winston hasn’t missed a game. Winston played less than 24 hours after his brother was struck and killed by an Amtrak train in Albion, Mich. He suited up last week when No. 3 Michigan State beat top-25 foe Seton Hall on the road.

But, on Monday night, following MSU's 94–46 win over Charleston Southern, Winston addressed the Breslin Center crowd for the first time since the incident.

“I lost a piece of my heart, but you guys keep me going,” the senior guard said. “I love everything about this place and I really appreciate you guys. So thank you.”

Zachary was a student at Albion College and a sophomore member of the men’s basketball team. A Chicago-bound train came into contact with him just before 9:00 p.m., striking and killing him. He was 19 years old.

“Thank you all. Thank all of Spartan nation. It’s been a really tough time for me and my family,” Cassius told the crowd Monday night. “All the support, all the love, all the flowers, I really, really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. Me and my family.”

Winston finished the game with 11 points, eight assists and five rebounds in 25 minutes of action.

The Spartans' next game comes Monday, Nov. 25 against Virginia Tech in the Maui Invitational.