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He can go home again: Kings guard Bonzi Wells is returning to his basketball roots.
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Thursday, March 16, 2006
Story appeared in Sports section, Page C1
Tickets will be at a premium Friday night for Bonzi Wells, who has enough family and friends requesting tickets to fill the upper deck.
Although Ron Artest will steal the spotlight in his first return to Indiana since being traded by the Pacers to the Kings for Peja Stojakovic, a Wells return to Indiana always tugs at a different emotional chord.
The Kings' brutish shooting guard is Indiana-grown to the core. Raised there, athletically groomed there, educated there, revered there. He got his basketball start on the playgrounds of Muncie, where an uncle - Robert Scaife - would pick the 14-year-old first for pickup games, then order the youngster to fetch some rebounds.
Wells emerged as a star at famed Muncie Central High School - yes, the same Muncie that lost the state title game to tiny Milan in the 1954 state finals that spawned the movie "Hoosiers" - and became a Muncie Central legend when he steered a 24-2 power in averaging 24 points and 12 rebounds as a senior.
And like many Indiana natives, Wells is quick to remind, "we still have the most state championships in state history at Muncie with eight."
"I'll always love Indiana," Wells continued. "That's my spot, where I'm from and where I live. If you play ball there growing up, and you're good, you're on a semi-god status. Basketball is life in Indiana. I'm happy to be a part of the history there, to have gone through it, and it's always good to go home."
When a longtime family friend, Ray McCallum, became the coach at Ball State in 1994, McCallum's first call was to Wells, who was considering Purdue. McCallum wanted Wells to remain loyal to Muncie, where Ball State is located (and barely two miles from Wells' childhood house). What's more, McCallum challenged Wells to break his Ball State scoring records. And McCallum threw in a kicker - play at Ball State, play hard and you'll play in the NBA.
"I'd never heard that before and never thought of the NBA," Wells said. "I was just this kid from a little country town."
Wells set school and Mid-America Conference records in scoring and steals - bettering his coach's marks, by the way - in a storied four-year career. He wound up as the No. 11 pick in the 1998 NBA draft. And he has remained loyal to those roots, donating hundreds of hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars to Muncie recreation centers. His No. 42 jersey hangs retired in the Ball State rafters.
"I was a homegrown kid who made it, but I wasn't the type to make it and never go back," Wells said. "I still go back every summer. I look up in the rafters and see my name, the family name - Wells - and it makes it special. Still makes me feel good."
Home these days is Sacramento, where Wells has influenced the Kings as a starter and reserve.
He missed 30 games with a groin tear and lists himself no better than 80 percent now. He is either the first or second man off the bench in a rotation that has the Kings soaring lately.
Wells returned for two games before aggravating the injury. He's now being eased back in, with 20-to 25-minute games as Kevin Martin's backup after Martin had backed him up before.
"I'm getting better, and I think coach (Rick Adelman) has been doing an excellent job of getting me back in there slowly. We talked about that again today. I like the direction of the team. We're playing great. I don't mind coming off the bench. Kevin's confidence is at an all-time high. I don't want to stop that. We want to take this momentum into the playoffs. Whatever they need me to do - start, come off the bench - I'll do it."
Adelman said Wells' attitude about his role has "been great."
"He likes the way things are going right now," he said. "Where he's made a huge difference for us in on the defensive end. He knows how to play. He battles people. He's been terrific."
Link
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Thursday, March 16, 2006
Story appeared in Sports section, Page C1
Tickets will be at a premium Friday night for Bonzi Wells, who has enough family and friends requesting tickets to fill the upper deck.
Although Ron Artest will steal the spotlight in his first return to Indiana since being traded by the Pacers to the Kings for Peja Stojakovic, a Wells return to Indiana always tugs at a different emotional chord.
The Kings' brutish shooting guard is Indiana-grown to the core. Raised there, athletically groomed there, educated there, revered there. He got his basketball start on the playgrounds of Muncie, where an uncle - Robert Scaife - would pick the 14-year-old first for pickup games, then order the youngster to fetch some rebounds.
Wells emerged as a star at famed Muncie Central High School - yes, the same Muncie that lost the state title game to tiny Milan in the 1954 state finals that spawned the movie "Hoosiers" - and became a Muncie Central legend when he steered a 24-2 power in averaging 24 points and 12 rebounds as a senior.
And like many Indiana natives, Wells is quick to remind, "we still have the most state championships in state history at Muncie with eight."
"I'll always love Indiana," Wells continued. "That's my spot, where I'm from and where I live. If you play ball there growing up, and you're good, you're on a semi-god status. Basketball is life in Indiana. I'm happy to be a part of the history there, to have gone through it, and it's always good to go home."
When a longtime family friend, Ray McCallum, became the coach at Ball State in 1994, McCallum's first call was to Wells, who was considering Purdue. McCallum wanted Wells to remain loyal to Muncie, where Ball State is located (and barely two miles from Wells' childhood house). What's more, McCallum challenged Wells to break his Ball State scoring records. And McCallum threw in a kicker - play at Ball State, play hard and you'll play in the NBA.
"I'd never heard that before and never thought of the NBA," Wells said. "I was just this kid from a little country town."
Wells set school and Mid-America Conference records in scoring and steals - bettering his coach's marks, by the way - in a storied four-year career. He wound up as the No. 11 pick in the 1998 NBA draft. And he has remained loyal to those roots, donating hundreds of hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars to Muncie recreation centers. His No. 42 jersey hangs retired in the Ball State rafters.
"I was a homegrown kid who made it, but I wasn't the type to make it and never go back," Wells said. "I still go back every summer. I look up in the rafters and see my name, the family name - Wells - and it makes it special. Still makes me feel good."
Home these days is Sacramento, where Wells has influenced the Kings as a starter and reserve.
He missed 30 games with a groin tear and lists himself no better than 80 percent now. He is either the first or second man off the bench in a rotation that has the Kings soaring lately.
Wells returned for two games before aggravating the injury. He's now being eased back in, with 20-to 25-minute games as Kevin Martin's backup after Martin had backed him up before.
"I'm getting better, and I think coach (Rick Adelman) has been doing an excellent job of getting me back in there slowly. We talked about that again today. I like the direction of the team. We're playing great. I don't mind coming off the bench. Kevin's confidence is at an all-time high. I don't want to stop that. We want to take this momentum into the playoffs. Whatever they need me to do - start, come off the bench - I'll do it."
Adelman said Wells' attitude about his role has "been great."
"He likes the way things are going right now," he said. "Where he's made a huge difference for us in on the defensive end. He knows how to play. He battles people. He's been terrific."
Link
