Central Michigan University Athletics
Feature Story: 'She’s definitely smiling for sure'
1/13/2025 11:40:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Our Stories
A decade later, CMU's Heady brothers continue to cope with family tragedy, honor late sister; Jakobi will wear No. 32 vs. Eastern Michigan on Tuesday night to honor his sister.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Their big sister is never far in their thoughts. So much so, that both Jakobi and Quentin Heady still frequently refer to her in the present tense.
With the impact and the legacy that Shannise Heady left, it's easy to see why.
"She's my sister, she has a big heart, she's loving," said Jakobi, a senior on the Central Michigan men's basketball team. "When you say Shannise Heady, you think of work ethic.
"In basketball, she instilled the determination and the will to go out and do it no matter how you feel. One day you maybe feel like you don't want to do it, but she would push you. That's what she did, all the time."
Jakobi, CMU's leading scorer and rebounder, will honor is late sister by wearing her No. 32 on his jersey when the Chippewas entertain Eastern Michigan on Tuesday (7 p.m.) a Mid-American Conference game at McGuirk Arena.
Shannise Heady died in a car accident in January, 2015, 17 games into her junior season at Eastern Michigan.
Jakobi and Quentin were 12 and 9 years old, respectively, at the time, living in the family home in suburban Chicago. Word of Shannise's death came in the middle of the night and, understandably, hit the close-knit family hard.
"It didn't hit me at first," Quentin said. "You're young. You don't even know what death actually means. You just know everybody around you is crying. You don't know that you'll never see her again, that she won't see you graduate, the she won't see you play basketball. None of that. I knew what was going on, but I just didn't really grasp it."
Athletics, basketball in particular, was a bonding agent in the family. Lawrence Heady, the family patriarch, played at Moraine Valley Community College in suburban college. The Heady's mother, Jannise Rife, played junior college ball and then at Division II Lewis University, about 35 miles from Chicago.
Big sister Shannise, both Jakobi and Quentin said, took a hybrid role of drill instructor and defender.
"She was a protector," Jakobi said, adding that he had texted with Shannise on the day she died as they compared notes on their respective basketball games of the day, Eastern's victory over Toledo, and Jakobi's AAU game.
The text included a report from Jakobi that he had gotten into trouble that day with his parents, and that prompted a phone call from Shannise to her parents.
"That's how much of a protector she is," he said, again speaking of his late sister in the present tense. "She wouldn't allow anything to happen to us; that's the kind of person she was."
Both Jakobi and Quentin smile at the memory of their sister and how she administered tough love. She was playful and fun loving, but when it came to the game, she was all business.
"She wasn't nice," Quentin said, laughing. "She wanted us to be so good at basketball; she was training us so hard. I think about her every day. When I wake up, before I go to sleep. It's not something you can go on without thinking about. She's an inspiration every day."
Said Jakobi: "She pushed us. She wasn't like, 'You'll see me do it and hopefully you'll come along.' No. She made you do it. When you're 12, you don't want to wake up at 6 a.m. for running and dribbling a basketball; you want to play video games. But she instilled it in us. … The blueprint."
The Heady brothers both transferred to CMU this season, Jakobi from Bethune-Cookman, Quentin, a sophomore, from South Suburban (Chicago) Community College. it's the first time they have played together on an organized team outside of AAU ball.
On Tuesday, with their parents will be among the McGuirk Arena crowd, and Shannise will, as always, be on their minds. In the case of Jakobi, the number 32 will cover his heart and have his back, just as his sister always did.
"It's a cliché, but it means the world," Jakobi said. "I'm really thankful. This opportunity means a lot. Shannise, she was just such a family person. She's definitely smiling for sure."
With the impact and the legacy that Shannise Heady left, it's easy to see why.
"She's my sister, she has a big heart, she's loving," said Jakobi, a senior on the Central Michigan men's basketball team. "When you say Shannise Heady, you think of work ethic.
"In basketball, she instilled the determination and the will to go out and do it no matter how you feel. One day you maybe feel like you don't want to do it, but she would push you. That's what she did, all the time."
Jakobi, CMU's leading scorer and rebounder, will honor is late sister by wearing her No. 32 on his jersey when the Chippewas entertain Eastern Michigan on Tuesday (7 p.m.) a Mid-American Conference game at McGuirk Arena.
Shannise Heady died in a car accident in January, 2015, 17 games into her junior season at Eastern Michigan.
Jakobi and Quentin were 12 and 9 years old, respectively, at the time, living in the family home in suburban Chicago. Word of Shannise's death came in the middle of the night and, understandably, hit the close-knit family hard.
"It didn't hit me at first," Quentin said. "You're young. You don't even know what death actually means. You just know everybody around you is crying. You don't know that you'll never see her again, that she won't see you graduate, the she won't see you play basketball. None of that. I knew what was going on, but I just didn't really grasp it."
Athletics, basketball in particular, was a bonding agent in the family. Lawrence Heady, the family patriarch, played at Moraine Valley Community College in suburban college. The Heady's mother, Jannise Rife, played junior college ball and then at Division II Lewis University, about 35 miles from Chicago.
Big sister Shannise, both Jakobi and Quentin said, took a hybrid role of drill instructor and defender.
"She was a protector," Jakobi said, adding that he had texted with Shannise on the day she died as they compared notes on their respective basketball games of the day, Eastern's victory over Toledo, and Jakobi's AAU game.
The text included a report from Jakobi that he had gotten into trouble that day with his parents, and that prompted a phone call from Shannise to her parents.
"That's how much of a protector she is," he said, again speaking of his late sister in the present tense. "She wouldn't allow anything to happen to us; that's the kind of person she was."
Both Jakobi and Quentin smile at the memory of their sister and how she administered tough love. She was playful and fun loving, but when it came to the game, she was all business.
"She wasn't nice," Quentin said, laughing. "She wanted us to be so good at basketball; she was training us so hard. I think about her every day. When I wake up, before I go to sleep. It's not something you can go on without thinking about. She's an inspiration every day."
Said Jakobi: "She pushed us. She wasn't like, 'You'll see me do it and hopefully you'll come along.' No. She made you do it. When you're 12, you don't want to wake up at 6 a.m. for running and dribbling a basketball; you want to play video games. But she instilled it in us. … The blueprint."
The Heady brothers both transferred to CMU this season, Jakobi from Bethune-Cookman, Quentin, a sophomore, from South Suburban (Chicago) Community College. it's the first time they have played together on an organized team outside of AAU ball.
On Tuesday, with their parents will be among the McGuirk Arena crowd, and Shannise will, as always, be on their minds. In the case of Jakobi, the number 32 will cover his heart and have his back, just as his sister always did.
"It's a cliché, but it means the world," Jakobi said. "I'm really thankful. This opportunity means a lot. Shannise, she was just such a family person. She's definitely smiling for sure."
Players Mentioned
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