Page 58 of Courtside

“But doesn’t it kind of have that fluffy tufted thing going?” Patrick argued, waving his hands around his head.

Monty jumped in. “I think he looks like Doc Brown fromBack to the Future.”

“Hey!” David glared at the point guard as the rest of the team howled. “That man was balding up top! I’ve got this big floppy mess up front. That’s at least one thing I’ve got going for me.”

“So you gonna get a haircut?” Zephyr asked.

“Honestly, everytime I go, they screw it up so badly that I’ve been avoiding it.” David shrugged. “But it’s getting to the point where it can’t get much worse than this, you know?”

“Jordan cuts hair,” Jenks offered, glancing over at his co-captain.

“Seriously?” David turned to Jordan just in time to see him shoot a scowl down the bench toward Jenks.

“I mean,” Jordan said, his voice barely above a mumble. “I’m alright at it.”

“Got any scissors with you?”

Jordan’s blonde eyebrows shot up his forehead. “Don’t we have to warm up?”

David checked his phone. “We’ve got another twenty minutes before you need to get out there.”

Jordan’s brows furrowed as he looked at David, like he was trying to figure out what his angle was. Honestly, David wasn’t entirely sure what he was trying to accomplish by letting one of his players cut his hair. All that he knew was that the second the team had started arguing about corgi butts, the feeling in the room shifted.

“Fine.” Jordan reached into his locker, grabbing a leather dopp kit and looking up at David. “Where are we doing this?”

The team jumped into action, dragging a folding chair into the group shower. Someone produced a towel, and next thing he knew David had stripped out of his sweater, leaving him in an undershirt with a towel slung over his shoulders.

“Alright boys,” Jordan said, looking around at the guys that had crammed into the shower to surround David. “What are we doing with this mop?”

David grinned as the guys laughed. It was the first glimmer of humor he’d seen from the senior, and something that felt a lot like pride warmed his chest. He didn’t give a shit that he was the butt of the joke. He’d take it any day if it meant seeing these guys come together.

Ten minutes later, he was looking at himself in the mirror, shocked into silence as he turned his head back and forth.

“Damn,” he said, unable to believe what Jordan had been able to do.

The sides were trimmed enough that the hair sat neatly, and he’d left the top long enough that it fell back from his face but wouldn’t fall into his eyes. The back was also trimmed up from his neck, and already he felt more comfortable without the constant itch of hair on his skin.

He looked good. Objectively good. Like a man who had his shit together and who people would listen to.Who knew the power of a goddamn haircut?

“Coach, you’re looking good for an old guy,” one of the younger players called out. There was another ripple of laughter that ran through the room, and David chuckled as he pulled his sweater back on.

He walked over to Jordan, who was putting his things away in his locker. “I owe you lunch,” he said, extending a hand. “Best haircut I’ve ever had.”

Jordan blushed, but shook David’s hand. “It’s no problem, Coach.”

David returned to the middle of the room, watching his guys settle back into their spots.

They weren’t his in the sense that he hadn’t chosen them. He hadn’t watched their high school games or recruited them. He hadn’t been the one to share the news that they’d get the chance to fulfill the dream of playing college basketball.

But they were his now. They were his team, and he was reminded of what an honor it was to get to be here in the room with them.

“I’ve been tough on you this year,” he said, making sure to keep his eyes roving over the group as he spoke. “There’s a lot of talent in this room, and it’s hard to watch us not pull out wins when we have so much going for us. But that’s not how this sport works. You can be the best shooter in the world, but if your confidence is shaken, you can’t make a shot to save your life.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry if I’ve taken that confidence from you. You were all chosen to be in this room because you’re talented players who have earned your spot on a college roster.”

David focused his gaze on Jordan, who was looking down at his tightly clasped hands in his lap. “This is our last game before you all go home to spend a few days with your families. I want you all to go into those days without the weight of past games on your shoulders.”

Shifting back to the rest of the group, he realized that, for the first time that season, every single one of them was hanging on to every word he said.

“The only way I know how to do that is to go out there and share the weight. Share the responsibility of stopping the ball. Share the need to get every rebound and the determination to get the ball in the hoop. If you do that, then regardless of the outcome, all of us here in this room will leave tonight knowing that what happened out there was our best.”

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