Milwaukee Washington's Winters enjoying breakout season
posted by Mark Miller at 2/26/2009
By Mark Miller Wishoops.net Editor Somehow, some way, Quevyn Winters finds a way to put the ball in the basket.
Whether he’s knocking down mid-range jump shots, taking the ball strong to the basket or getting to the foul line, Winters has a knack for putting the ball in the hoop.
His scoring exploits have played an enormous role in the success of the Milwaukee Washington basketball team, which takes an 18-1 record and the No. 1 ranking among Division 1 schools in the most recent Wissports.net Coaches Poll into Friday’s regular-season finale against Milwaukee Northwest.
Entering the season, opposing coaches in the Milwaukee City Conference knew they would have to contain Washington senior star Antone Byrd, but now they must also contend with Winters, a 6-foot-4 guard/forward who is currently averaging 18.84 points per game to rank fifth among all sophomores in the state.
Ranked No. 2 among sophomores in the state by Wishoops.net, Winters is making a strong push to take over the top spot in the rankings, which will be updated at the end of the WIAA State Tournament.
Utilizing his quickness, physical strength and ball handling skills to continually get around defenders, Winters has developed into matchup nightmare for opponents in the City Conference.
College programs from the Midwest are beginning to take notice of Winters’ wide array of skills as he recently received scholarship offers from both UW-Green Bay and UW-Milwaukee. In addition, Iowa, Iowa State, Marquette, Syracuse and Wisconsin, among others, have expressed interest.
“I’d like to go somewhere in the Big East, but right now I’m more concerned with my high school season,” Winters said.
The Purgolders suffered their first defeat of the season Wednesday as Milwaukee Rufus King went to Washington and pulled out the 63-56 upset despite 22 points from Winters.
The setback snapped Washington’s 33-game City Conference winning streak, but the loss may prove to be even more costly as Winters sustained a sprained wrist in the contest. He is expected to miss Friday’s game against Northwest, but hopes to return in time for the WIAA playoffs.
“I’m hoping to get back very soon,” Winters said. “We’ve been playing well. We have good team chemistry and everybody is getting along so things are good.”
After finishing the regular season 20-0 a year ago, Washington lost to King in the sectional semifinals. Winters and his teammates hope to take the next step and qualify for the WIAA State Tournament this time around.
“We are hungry to get there,” Winters said. “Once we get there, we want to win it.”
Winters, who said he is undecided about which travel team program he will play with this spring and summer, believes Washington is at its best when it pushes the ball and scores in transition.
“The key to our success has been our ability to get up and down the floor and our unselfishness,” he said. “We like to share the ball.”
The Purgolders will no doubt need to be running on all cylinders to survive a sectional that includes Milwaukee Marquette, Milwaukee South and defending state champion Wauwatosa East.
“We know all the teams in our sectional are very good,” Winters said. “We will take nothing for granted.”
With Byrd and Winters leading the way, few are betting against the talented Purgolders.
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