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Shawn Windsor
@shawnwindsor
columnist and sports feature writer at Detroit Free Press
Joined August 2012
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    After the most painful month of his life, MSU’s Cassius Winston is trying to love basketball again:
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    Few will be rooting harder for Juwan Howard and Michigan today than the coaching staff of the Miami Heat. “We’re all Michigan alums now,” said Erik Spoelstra:
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    Mike Garland fumbled around his house in East Lansing, tossing a few clothes into a suitcase, ran to his car, and took off for Cleveland. It was dark. Snow and sleet pelted the windshield. He didn’t care. He plunged his foot on the pedal, pushing 80 mph:
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    On washing dishes and fatherhood, and how a to-do list and a little girl have turned Xavier Tillman into one of the best big men in the Big Ten: freep.com/story/sports/c…
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    Tum Tum swarmed with family and friends after MSU win here in Bahamas.
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    The Confederate flag represents 13 states that wanted a separate country in order to keep buying and selling human beings. Any other reading is a whitewash. NASCAR’s move to ban it was long overdue. Symbols matter:
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    Yes, the Bad Boys were physical. Yes, they knocked players on their asses. Yes, they could be irritating, to opponents as well as opposing fanbases. Don’t let that overshadow just how beautiful and thrilling they could be to watch: freep.com/story/sports/c…
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    "Black people ... don’t want to blame white people for all our problems. No one is seeking to do that ... We are looking for acknowledgment and (emotional) support." From a conversation between @jemelehill and @joerexrode on where white folks need to go: theathletic.com/1850890/2020/0…
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    His last three-pointer brought Tom Izzo to tears, even though the game was still in doubt. Matt McQuaid played the game of his life Sunday, keeping a promise to a injured teammate, who happened to be his best friend. My column: freep.com/story/sports/c…
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    John Beilein stood outside his locker room late Monday night and shook hands with the media. He smiled, spread grace and cheer, and looked for all the world like he'd just wrapped up a summer practice. On his unique place in the sport:
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    John Beilein used Kobe Bryant's nickname to describe a pivot. He called it the Mamba, and his sophomore forward, Charles Matthews, copied the move to make the biggest bucket of the night. A column on change, fundamentals, having fun and looking inward:
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    Maryland students chanted "you are ugly" to Ignas Brazdeikis while he shot free throws. Easy to forget college is but four years from middle school. Maryland's PA announcer asked the students to stop. Good for him.
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    What do assistant video coordinator Doug Herner and assistant coach Mike Garland mean to Tom Izzo? Everything. “I wouldn’t be the same without them,” he said. On the ‘grumpy old men’ who helped Izzo turn MSU into a national power:
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    Tom Izzo struggles to articulate what makes his Spartans so good. “I love this team,” he said. “But sometimes I’m not sure how we win.” So, instead of trying to tell me, he invited me inside for a day to see for myself: