Bucyrus' Bayless becomes first boys 1,000-point scorer in program's 112-year history
BUCYRUS - When you walk into the Alex Kish Memorial Gymnasium and look up on the wall you'll see five names representing the 1,000-point scorers in school history — Natalie Winkelfoos, Chelsea Hawkins, Kelsee Rehm, Kelci Simms and Macey Sheerer.
Yes, all girls.
The 112-year-old boys program had never seen a player reach the career milestone before.
Had being the key word.
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Because on Jan. 6 at Carey High School, senior Malachi Bayless did the seemingly impossible eclipsing 1,000 career points in a Bucyrus uniform.
"It's still surreal, I can't believe it," Bayless said. "I don't think it will really click until I see the banner."
He was honored a week later in the first home game following a four-game road stretch. It happened to be against county foe Buckeye Central and both teams were seeking their first win in Northern 10 play. And before tipoff, the newest inductees into the Bucyrus Hall of Fame were recognized.
The stage was set, and the star shined setting a new single-game scoring record with 45 points against the Bucks in Bucyrus' 68-57 win.
"I didn't expect it to be honest," Bayless said. "I just wanted to get back on my feet after a tough road skid, four games straight, so I just wanted to come back home.
"I came out hot shooting 80% from the field and I think 70% from 3 — I wasn't really missing. And once I got to 36, I knew I was gonna be capable of it. And all my teammates did, too, so I appreciate them as well."
He had previously shared the single-game record (44) with Jim Kirkham — both coincidentally did it against rival Galion — but Bayless, and anyone else in the gym that night, knows the record probably should've been his just shy of a year ago as he was fouled on a layup at the buzzer. But in a 20-point loss, the officials waved it off and ended the game.
"I'm happy I get to hold it individually, that's all I really wanted," Bayless said. "I was really upset after that game because it was a shooting foul, but they just wanted to get out of there.
"And I don't blame them, it was a blowout."
The seed was planted freshman year
When Bayless entered high school, Barry Egan was in the middle of his three-year stint as head coach. Having coached for nearly a half-century up to that point, Egan had seen his fair share of talent on the court including countless Division I athletes and a few NFL players — Kansas City's Travis Kelce being one of them.
But there was just something about Bayless that drew Egan to him.
"The first thing we did with Malachi was walk the cafeteria and look at all the pictures," Egan said. "I told him to be the first one to score a thousand points here — you can do that. We put that seed in his head, and he had the work ethic to do it.
"He was like a sponge, he just wanted to absorb everything. We always had a thing where if you stop listening, you stop learning. Malachi was a 10 in learning and listening. He watched a lot of tape, he became a student of the game, and it won't surprise me if he coaches one day because he got bit by the bug early."
Egan made a lasting impression on Bayless, too, despite only coaching him for two seasons. Granted, they were arguably his most important two seasons to lay the foundation for what he was able to accomplish.
"What I remember about my first game playing was that I messed up the play, and of course coach Egan wouldn't let that slide," Bayless said with a laugh. "But honestly, he pushed me. He's an experienced coach and he pushed me in ways I really hadn't been pushed, until coach (Brian) Hargis.
"So I have to thank coach Egan, out of all people, for my freshman and sophomore year because he was always tough on all of us."
Bayless went on to score 158 points as a freshman — one of two freshmen in program history with 100-plus — and added 257 sophomore year. As a junior, he became the walking bucket he is now averaging 18.7 points per game and scored the second-most in a season with 431 to bring his career total to 846 entering senior year.
"I have all my points in my notes of every year," Bayless said. "And I just calculated it, I'm at 234 right now."
He's currently leading the league in scoring with 19.5 points per game and 3-point percentage (47.5%), third in steals (2.6) and fifth in field goal percentage (58.2%) behind a quartet of post players. And to make his feat even more impressive, Bayless is playing under his third coach in as many years.
"The biggest transition was from coach Egan to coach (Scott Gifford), the system was completely different," Bayless said. "But I was more mature, so it was easier to fully understand it.
"This year has been pretty easy going because I'm familiar with coach Hargis and he knows all of us. I'm very grateful to coach like him."
Bayless also shares the single-game 3-point record with eight made against Galion last year and is approaching Kyle Teynor's career mark of 141 makes — Bayless is currently at 128 a dozen games into this season. He's also chasing former boys career scoring leader Kade Dillon's single-season record of 470, though the all-time school record of 1,461 held by Sheerer is likely out of reach.
"The thing about Malachi is he came to practice every day and he wanted to be coached hard," Egan said. "My career in high school was about the same as his as far as not winning as many games as you'd like, but I'm just really glad for him.
"I've had a plethora of great players throughout my career … I can honestly say I think I enjoyed Malachi as much as any of them. I loved him, and I still do. He's somebody, I think of often and certainly miss."
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This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Bayless becomes Bucyrus boys basketball's first 1,000-point scorer
