Justin Winston likely out for season
Justin Winston drives against Milwaukee. Photo credit: Justin Newton
February 20, 2022
The hits for Robert Morris men’s basketball continue to pile up, as junior forward Justin Winston is likely out for the season with a fractured foot.
Winston suffered the injury after falling hard at practice on Feb. 9. The Colonials were getting set to take on Detroit Mercy.
Winston, who transferred in from St. Bonaventure, has worn a walking boot since then, and with just a couple of weeks left in the season, it is safe to assume he will not be returning to action before season’s end.
With three players leaving the program earlier in the season, Winston’s injury has made a thin bench even thinner.
After the Colonials lost to UIC in overtime on Saturday night, head coach Andy Toole spoke about how Winston’s absence has affected the rotation.
“It certainly hurts the rotation,” Toole said. “We need as many bodies as we can get into the game [right now].”
Toole continued, talking about what lineup adjustments were being made.
“At times we had Kam Farris, Jaron Williams and Enoch Cheeks out there which are some odd lineups.”
Chase Cook also missed Saturday’s game due to an illness, which meant RMU only had eight players against UIC.
The Colonials have missed his presence recently, forcing the players mentioned by Toole to have to pick up the slack in the rotation.
Winston’s injury occurred after the Colonials looked to be turning a corner, as they had won three of their last four games dating back to February 5th.
It is especially crushing for Winston, who scored a season-high 19 points on Feb. 3 against UIC.
Now, the Colonials have lost four of their last five games and sit at 7-21 overall with just two regular-season games remaining.
Winston will finish his first season at RMU averaging 8.7 points and 3 rebounds, shooting 46.7 percent overall and 32.1 percent from three-point range.
