Archdeacon: What’s in a number? Everything
UD’s Jayla Scaife is No. 42 for a reason that dates to her days in Muncie, Indiana and involves former NBA player Bonzi Wells.
What began by chance has now become, as Jayla Scaife put it: “cherished.”
Back in the late 1980s, Rob Scaife was a freshman who made the varsity basketball team at Muncie Central High School in Indiana. As the young kid, he took whatever jersey he could get.
“I switched numbers around,” he said. “I was No. 40, then 54 and 52. Another player ended up quitting, so they gave me his jersey — No. 42 — and I wore it all four years of high school.”
He had a standout career at Muncie Central and then played at Florida College, a Christian junior college in Temple Terrace, Fla.
His nephew, who was a few years younger, looked up to him, because Rob would allow him to join his team when they played pickup games at the local community center. When that kid got to Muncie Central, he decided to wear his uncle’s number as a way of honoring him.
That’s how Bonzi Wells began wearing No. 42.
He became a star at Muncie Central and then a legend a nearby Ball State, where he was a two-time Mid-American Conference Player of the Year and set the MAC all-time career records for points scored and steals.
Wells was a first-round draft pick of the Detroit Pistons in 1998 and over the next decade played for five NBA teams before finishing his career in China and Puerto Rico.
That Muncie community center, by the way, now has named its basketball facility The Bonzi Wells Gymnasium.
And his No. 42 has been retired at Ball State.
The next family member in the basketball spotlight was Rob and wife Wilisha’s son, Jauwan. Wearing No. 42, he starred at Muncie Central and then went to Ball State, as well.
“He couldn’t wear 42 there, because it was hanging from the rafters,” Wilisha said. “So he became No. 4.”
He finished as the 14th all-time scorer at Ball State with 1,326 points and now is an assistant women’s basketball coach at Murray State.
Eventually a few other relatives began to wear the family number, and that’s when Rob — who was a longtime detective with the Muncie Police Department and led the gang task force before becoming the pastor of the United Missionary Baptist Church in Muncie — offered a directive.
“I talked to family members about wearing No. 42,” he said with a bit of a laugh. “I told them, ‘If you’re going to put that 42 jersey on, you’ve at least got to do something when you’re wearing it. Don’t just put it on to put it on. We wear it with pride.’”
And no one took that message to heart more than daughter, Jayla.
Wearing the familiar No. 42, she became the alltime leading scorer and rebounder at Muncie Central.
Now a 5-foot-10 senior guard at the University of Dayton — where she again wears No. 42 — she had a game-high 16 points and 12 rebounds Wednesday night to lead the Flyers to a 78-51 victory over St. Bonaventure at UD Arena, a win that gave Dayton, with its 14-1 conference mark, the outright A-10 title.
Her totals Wednesday give her 1,400 points and 602 rebounds in her Dayton career, a mark only eight other Flyers women have reached.
While she’s in select company at UD, Scaife admitted she’s had to live up to just as high of a standard on the hoops home front:
“That jersey is cherished in our family.”
A ‘natural’ fit at UD
As she’s blossomed in her basketball career, Scaife said she’s drawn inspiration from a couple of other accomplished players.
“Tamika Catchings is one player I’ve looked up to,” she said of the former Tennessee All American who was a 10-time WNBA All Star in her 15-year career with the Indiana Fever.
“I was able to have a relationship with her through somebody in my church who had had season tickets at Tennessee when Tamika played and would stay after and (talk to her.)
“She talks to me every now and then, and I text A’ja Wilson (the Las Vegas Aces star out of South Carolina) too.”
While Catchings and Wilson went to Power 5 conference schools, Scaife opted to come to UD rather than accept a Big Ten offer.
“I liked the family atmosphere here, it seemed natural,” she said. “A lot of schools, if you’re recruited there, they say they are a family within the team and outside the team, but it kinda felt fake at some of those schools.
“At Dayton, President Spina comes to our games. Our athletics director, Neil (Sullivan), comes to our (basketball) office. It’s just a community. It seemed I wouldn’t get as much one-on-one at those other schools. There you have to compete for your spot at every practice. To me, those coaches are looking for starters more so than developing a player.”
UD coach Shauna Green said Scaife’s story is not unique: “We’ve gotten a lot of players who were recruited by big-time schools, big-time leagues, but they liked the smaller environment, the family atmosphere. And they are able to compete at a high level here, because we play as hard of a schedule as we can in the nonconference, and they have a chance to compete for a national championship.”
Scaife has won All A-10 honors her first three seasons at UD. Along the way she’s had several big games: 35 points against Rhode Island as a sophomore, 27 in a victory over Georgia Tech last year, 25 against Davidson this season.
After a final regular season game at St. Louis on Saturday, the 21-8 Flyers almost certainly need to win the A-10 tournament at UD Arena next weekend to make the NCAA Tournament, which they made in Scaife’s first two seasons here, but missed last year.
“Sure that’s in the back of our mind, but I feel like last year we got a little ahead of ourselves trying to get to the NCAA Tournament and forgot we had to go one game at a time,” Scaife said. “We won’t do that this year.”
Wearing No. 42 is a family affair
After Wednesday’s game, several of Scaife’s family members from Muncie waited beyond the Flyers locker room for her to emerge.
“We had over 50 people here for Senior Day,” Wilisha said of the Flyers’ Feb. 16 game with VCU.
While Jayla has immersed herself at UD — along with working toward spring graduation with a degree in psychology and basketball, she’s in the Delta Sigma Theta sorority that’s involved in the African American community — she hasn’t forgotten her Muncie roots.
While almost no one knows it at UD, she can “sing and dance” her mother said:
“When she comes back home, she helps with the youth choir at church. She’s a good singer, but she always keeps that her secret thing here, her hidden talent.”
Scaife said her teammates have not heard her sing: “A few who know have tried to get me to do it, but I never have. I don’t think I’m good, but people who have heard me think I’m really good.”
Another thing a lot of people might not expect is that when she finishes her UD career, she said her playing days will end, too,
Rather than try to play professionally somewhere, she said she wants to be a college coach similar to her brother.
After his career, Jauwan became a grad assistant at Ball State before joining the Evansville staff and then Southeast Missouri before Murray State.
“I feel I’d be just as good of an asset on the sideline as I am on the court,” Scaife said.
Before the family left UD Arena on Wednesday night, Jayla posed for photos with her dad and her mom, who was wearing a No. 42 jersey.
After a couple of shots, they wanted to make the family portrait complete and beckoned younger daughter Jasi to join them. She’s a 15-year-old, 5-foot10 sophomore at Muncie Central who’s just begun playing basketball again.
“She’ll be the next one wearing No. 42,” Rob said proudly. “We’ll work with her now to get her ready for next season.”
DAYTON OUTDOOR CONCERT VENUES
Fraze Pavilion
695 Lincoln Park Blvd., Kettering www.fraze.com, 800-514-3849 Recently announced: Pablo Cruise, June 5; Josh Groban, June 17; Phil Dirt & The Dozers, June 26; Killer Queen, July 1; Trace Adkins, July 2; The Fabulous Thunderbirds, June 12; Gladys Knight, June 20; Disco Inferno, July 10; Darci Lynne Farmer, July 21; STYX with Night Ranger, July 24; Kidz Bop Live, July 29; Hairball, July 30; The Menus, July 31; Loverboy, Aug. 4; Chris Botti, Aug. 7; Happy Together Tour starring the Turtles, Chuck Negron, The Association, Mark Lindsay, The Vogues and the Cowsills, Aug. 12; Get the Led Out, Aug. 19; TUSK Aug. 20; Dire Straits Legacy with Stranger, Aug. 23; The Texas Tenors, Aug. 26; Jeffrey Osborne & Peabo Bryson, Aug. 29; The Taste, Sept. 2
J.D. Legends
85 Millard Drive, Franklin www.jdlegends.com, 937-746-4950 Recently announced: Jasmine Cain, April 18; Dustin Collins with Cody Garrett, April 24; Thomas Mac with Alexandra Kay, April 25; The Menus, May 1; Wreking Crue, May 2; Nicholas Jamerson, May 8; Randy Houser, May 9; Naked Karate Girls, May 15; Sam Grow and Jacob William, May 22; ESC4P3 — The Journey Tribute, May 23; Dallas Moore and Cody Garrett, May 29; Sammy Kershaw, Collin Raye and Aaron Tippin, June 6; Frank Foster, June 13; Zoso Led Zeppelin Tribute, July 11; Blues Traveler, July 17; Scotty Bratcher, Aug. 7; Jamey Johnson, Aug. 21
Rose Music Center at The Heights 6800 Executive Blvd., Huber Heights www.rosemusiccenter.com, 513-2326220
Recently announced: Charlie Daniels Band and the Marshall Tucker Band, May 2; Keith Sweat, June 6; Alice Cooper, Tesla, Lita Ford, June 10; Sheryl Crow, June 17; Boney James, June 27; Steve Miller Band, Marty Stuart and Gary Mule Deer, June 30; ZZ Top, July 1; Buddy Guy Jonny Lang, July 18; Ted Nugent, Aug. 13; John Legend, Sept. 5
DAYTON INDOOR CONCERT VENUES
BMI Indoor Speedway
791 E. Main St., Versailles www.bmikarts.com, 937-526-9544 Upcoming: Jeff Allen, Feb. 29; Phil Keaggy, Feb. 29; Korn’s Brian Welch, March 7; Molly Hatchet with John Corabi, March 14; Steven Adler of Guns N’ Roses and Mike Tramp of White Lion, April 25; April Wine and Jack Russell’s Great White, May 16; Michael Sweet from Stryper and Tony Harnell of TNT, May 30; The Guess Who and Orleans, Aug. 15; Brightside Music & Event Venue
905 E. Third St., Dayton www.thebrightsidedayton.com, 937410-0450
Upcoming: Rayne Johnson featuring Thomas Mac, Cody Garrett and Jacob Williams, March 14; Stairway to Zeppelin, April 3
Dayton Art Institute
456 Belmonte Park North www.daytonartinstitute.org; 937-2235277
Recently announced: Jimmy Leach Jazztet featuring Maggie Green, April 9; The Dirty Shirleys, May 14; Blue Heron Trio, July 9; Mike Wade, Aug. 13; Petra Van Nuis, Oct. 8; Puzzle of Light, Nov. 12 Hobart Arena
255 Adams St., Troy www.hobartarena.com, 937-339-2911 Upcoming: Bill Engvall, March 1
Nutter Center
3640 Colonel Glenn Highway, Fairborn www.nuttercenter.com, 937-775-4789 Recently announced: James Taylor with Jackson Browne, June 15 Upcoming: Jeff Dunham, March 19 Victoria Theatre
138 N. Main Street www.victoriatheatre.com Upcoming: Indigo Girls, March 3
SPRINGFIELD CONCERT VENUES
Kuss Auditorium
Clark State Performing Arts Center 300 S. Fountain Ave., Springfield pac.clarkstate.edu, 937-328-3874 Recently announced: Michael Bolton, May 1
Upcoming shows: Choir of Man, Feb. 29; Blue Man Group — Speechless Tour, March 10
CINCINNATI CONCERT VENUES
Bogart’s
2621 Vine St., Cincinnati www.bogarts.com, 513-872-8801 Recently announced: Less Than Jake, May 23
Upcoming: Gaelic Storm, Feb. 28; The Prince Experience, March 6
Great American Ballpark
100 Joe Nuxhall Way, Cincinnati cincinnati.reds.mlb.com, 513-381-7337 Recently announced: I Love the ’90s featuring Vanilla Ice, Naughty By Nature, Tone Loc, Rob Base, June 27; Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Poison, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, July 2 Heritage Bank Center, formerly U.S. Bank Arena
100 Broadway, Cincinnati heritagebankcenter.com, 513-421-4111 Recently announced: Foo Fighters, May 14; Roger Waters, Aug. 1
PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center
6295 Kellogg Ave., Cincinnati www.PNCPavilion.com, 513-232-6220 Recently announced: Primus with Wolfmother and the Sword, June 9; Andrew Bird with Calexico and Iron & Wine, June 20; ZZ Top, June 30; Megadeath and Lamb of God, July 7; Buddy Guy and Jonny Lang, July 19; Barenaked Ladies, Gin Blossoms, Toad the Wet Sprocket, July 21; Charlie Daniels Band and the Marshall Tucker Band, Aug. 14; Alicia Keys, Aug. 19
Riverbend Music Center
6295 Kellogg Ave., Cincinnati www.riverbend.org, 513-232-6220 Recently announced: Nickelback, Stone Temple Pilots, Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown, June 27; Daryl Hall and John Oates, July 12; Jimmy Buffett, July 14; Dead & Company, July 20; The Black Keys, July 22; Tim McGraw with Midland and Ingrid Andress, July 23; Sam Hunt, Aug. 16; Jason Aldean with Brett Young, Mitchell Tenpenny and Dee Jay Silver, Aug. 23; Matchbox Twenty, Aug. 27; Brooks & Dunn with special guests, Aug. 28; Incubus with 311, Aug. 30; Maroon 5, Sept. 1; Rod Stewart with Cheap Trick, Sept. 4; Chris Young with Scotty McCreery and Payton Smith, Sept. 26 Smale Riverfront Park
100 Ted Berry Way, Cincinnati ntlhomecoming.com, 513-352-6180 Recently announced: Homecoming Music Festival featuring The National, Sylvan Esso, Local Natives, Phosphorescent, Sudan Archives, Tribe, May 8; The National, Patti Smith and Her Band, Of Monsters and Men, Japanese Breakfast, Hamilton, Leithauser, Jay Som, Velvet Negroni, Wussy, May 9
Taft Theatre
317 E. Fifth St., Cincinnati tafttheatre.org, 513-721-8883 Recently announced: Bob Saget, May 14; Masked Singer, May 29; YOLA, June 14; Boney James, Oct. 1
COLUMBUS CONCERT VENUES
Celeste Center
Ohio State Expo Center
717 E. 17th Ave,. Columbus www.ohiostatefair.com; 614-466-8346 Recently announced: Ohio State Fair concert series featuring KIDZ BOP World Tour, July 24; Chris Young, July 25; Lyfe Jennings, Chante Moore, Carl Thomas, July 26; Hank Williams Jr., July 27; All-Ohio State Fair Band & Youth Choir, July 28; Gabriel Iglesias, July 28; Toby Keith with Jimmie Allen, July 29; Steve Martin and Martin Short, July 29; John Denver Tribute featuring Ted Vigil, July 30; Matthew West with Matt Maher, July 30; REO Speedwagon with Night Ranger, July 31; The S.O.S. Band and Midnight Star, Aug. 1; Bad Company with Foghat, Aug. 2; Happy Together Tour featuring The Turtles, Chuck Negron formerly of Three Dog Night, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, The Buckinghams, The Classics IV, The Cowsills, Aug. 3
EXPRESS LIVE!
405 Neil Ave., Columbus www.promowestlive.com, 614-461-LIVE
(5483), ext. 101 Recently announced: Ann Wilson of Heart, June 17; Vampire Weekend, Sept. 23
Jerome Schottenstein Center’s Value City Arena
555 Borror Drive, Columbus www.schottensteincenter.com, 800-273-6201
Recently announced: Megadeath and Lamb of God, Oct. 21 Nationwide Arena 200 W. Nationwide Blvd., Columbus www.nationwidearena.com, 614246-3199
Recently announced: Rascal Flatts, Sept. 25 Upcoming: Dan + Shay, March 8 Newport Music Hall
1722 N. High St., Columbus www.promowestlive.com, 614246-2000
Upcoming: The Glorious Sons, Feb. 28; Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience, Feb. 29; Dashboard Confessional, March 6; The Revivalists, March 7; Allen Stone, March 10