Winston, Howard top AP’s preseason All-American team
Cassius Winston had a long list of accomplishments at Michigan State. He led the Spartans to Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles and into the Final Four. He was the Big Ten player of the year, an AP AllAmerican, one of the nation’s best players.
No one would have blamed the gritty guard for bolting to the NBA. His place in Michigan State history was already secured.
But Winston wanted more, to add to his legacy in East Lansing, so he opted to return for his senior season.
Winston is the only consensus selection on the AP preseason All-America team announced Tuesday, a day after Michigan State was ranked No. 1 in the AP preseason poll.
He is joined by high-scoring Marquette senior guard Markus Howard, Louisville junior forward Jordan Nwora, Seton Hall senior guard Myles Powell and Memphis freshman James Wiseman on the team.
Winston considered leaving for the NBA after leading the Spartans to the 2019 Final Four and earning first-team AP All-America honors. He was the only unanimous selection.
Spartans’ Langford is out again
EAST LANSING, MICH. >> Topranked Michigan State is already dealing with a significant injury.
Guard Joshua Langford had a setback in his return from a foot injury, and coach Tom Izzo says the senior will be re-evaluated in January. Langford played only 13 games last season, averaging 15 points.
Izzo said a stress reactoin has surfaced in the same foot.
“It’s one of those weird things that breaks my heart,” Izzo said. “I love Josh Langford. He’s one of those guys that has given me everything on the court, off the court, in the classroom, like almost nobody I’ve had. He’s handled everything a lot better than I would have handled it.”
Kyrgios to play for Australia
SYDNEY >> Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt said he’s willing to overlook Nick Kyrgios’s recent outbursts on the ATP Tour, selecting the wayward star for the revamped Davis Cup finals.
Kyrgios is serving a sixmonth probation on the ATP Tour after a meltdown at the Cincinnati tournament and calling the ATP “pretty corrupt” during the U.S. Open in August.
The suspended sentence applies to the ATP Tour but not Davis Cup competition. Hewitt said he’s confident the 24-year-old will be on his best behavior at the 18team Davis Cup finals in Madrid from Nov. 18-24.
S.Carolina football put on probation
COLUMBIA, S.C. >> South Carolina’s football program was placed on probation for the next year by the NCAA for a former assistant coach’s impermissible actions in recruiting a sophomore prospect in the spring of 2018.
South Carolina reported the infraction to the NCAA, which considered it a Level II violation. The school and the NCAA handled it through the governing body’s negotiated resolution process. The probation, which runs until Oct. 21, 2020, does not include any restriction on postseason competition, according to the NCAA.