making a statement. Andre Winston, Jr., shown during district tournament, led Lakes to a strong performance at the state tournament. (Photo by rocky ross)
It might take until next fall when he is playing college basketball in Virginia before Lakes High School’s Andre Winston, Jr. can work out the frustration of his final week of high-school basketball, but the standout will have no doubts he left everything he had on the floor at Tacoma Dome during the 3A basketball tournament.
After scoring 36 points in the 74-61 quarterfinal victory against Glacier Park to put his team in the semifinals, he and his teammates fell one point short of reaching the championship game, falling to Union, 63-62. Union went on to win the title with a 51-50 win over Enumclaw.
Against Union in the semifinals, Winston scored 21 and was the eventual tournament MVP.
He politely acknowledged well-wishers after the loss to Union and came back with 33 points the next day to lead his team to a third-place finish with a victory over Shadle Park.
After that game, coach Jo Jo Rodriguez talked about what Winston has meant to him and this team.
“We’re family,” said Rodriquez, who coached Andre’s father on the 1991 Garfield state championship team and has known Andre, Jr. since the day he was born.
Winston, Jr. averaged 29 points per game during the tournament.
“He has just grown into such a fine player and young man. He’s definitely ready for college ball,” Winston, Sr. said.
Andre, Jr. has chosen to attend school and play basketball at James Madison University, about 90 miles south of Washington, D.C, a college basketball hotbed.
“He’ll do very well,” said his coach. “He is already playing at that kind of level.”
“It is frustrating, hard. It feels like it will stay with you a long time. But he is blessed with being able to go on to the next level and keep working on his game. And that means everything to him,” Andre, Sr., an assistant coach with the team, said.
“You come out hard,” Andre, Jr. said just before the tournament started. “That’s all you can do. And that is what we do. Right here, one thing can change who wins and loses state. So you just keep going hard.”
“That’s what they did,” Rodriguez said after the final game. “And they can be very proud.”
