Look good, play good: Off-court haircuts lift players

SALISBURY, Maryland — There’s more to basketball than shots and buckets, as the Governor's Challenge tournament barber will tell you.

The nation's largest holiday tournament brings in players from around the country. 

In that competition, it goes without saying how important scoring points and winning games are for any basketball player, but following the hours of practice and just before athletes take the court, there's one question that all players ask themselves: Do I look good?

Is the jersey pressed and ironed, displaying perfectly an athlete’s number and the name that sits just above it?

Are the shoes polished, reflecting the lights that shine above the court, while also causing that dynamic squeak that echoes through the arena when a player pivots or jukes out a defender?

But above all, how’s the hair?

Ideally, it's combed, spiked, braided, showing off a mix of what kind of style you like while also serving as the metaphorical cherry on top of your appearance.

The phrase “look good, play good” is a saying many athletes have heard, and at the Governor’s Challenge basketball tournament, players and officials take that saying to heart.

As teams took the court on the tournament’s second day, several players emerged from the locker room with a new haircut.

However, it wasn’t because local barbershops had deals that coaches and players couldn’t pass up. Instead, the Governor’s Challenge brought in its first tournament barber in Woody Sharp of Sharp Cuts, a Mardela High School alumnus who’s cut hair for the past 13 years.

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As a former player for the Warriors, Sharp had always looked for a way to give back to the basketball community, so when tournament official Derek Jarmon contacted him about cutting hair at the Governor’s Challenge, Sharp couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

“When you look good, you perform good,” Sharp said. “When you look bad, you have the ability to perform bad — it’s a mindset, that’s all it is. I love it here; I love what I do. I’ve been passionate about it since Day 1, and I don’t think I’ll ever lose passion for it if it’s the gift that God gave me.”  

A one-man crew, Sharp showed up at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center with one briefcase, a cover sheet and a whole lot of razors.

Hardly saying a word, Sharp set up his office for the day, cleaned off his equipment and awaited his first customer.

Shortly after 1 p.m., a group of players noticed the mini-barbershop that had been set up just outside the locker rooms. After some discussion, one player stepped forward, hoping to get a clean cut before he took the court.

The point guard-turned-barber said he knows firsthand how important players' image is to their skills with a basketball.

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“It’s a very fulfilling experience,” Sharp said. “I decided it was something I could do, something I was passionate about, and I started taking care of a few people around the community, and the rest is history.”

The decision to bring a barber on board was one Jarmon pitched to tournament director James Simmons before things became official.

"It was really kind of a joke to start off with," Jarmon said. "I reached out to some people that I knew to get in touch with different barbers who would be willing to volunteer their time."

As one of the head officials for team experience, Jarmon was in change of incorporating something new — something players or coaches would never expect, but would give them a sense of excitement and joy once they saw it.

Once the news of a Governor’s Challenge barber started making its way around the Civic Center, it was clear Jarmon’s idea was a hit.

"Every player I've talked to said they've never had anything like this before," Jarmon said. "There's really nothing more we can do. I don't know how we top it next year."

When he gives a cut, Sharp said he normally plays the role of listener, taking in all the information, stories and rants some of his customers may want to discuss while sitting in his chair.

That role carried over into the tournament, as Sharp discussed with players some of their skills, goals they set for themselves, as well as player profiles they had seen in the paper or on the news.

“We (barbers) call ourselves the vault — the vault of information,” Sharp said. “I always tell people, ‘Once it hits the paper, it’s coming to the barbershop.’”

Sharp said an athlete who had traveled to the Governor’s Challenge from Canada had made his way over to the longtime barber.

With the tournament marking the player's first time in the United States, Sharp said the two enjoyed an interesting conversation, discussing traveling and different changes in the two environments.

“He said his experience here so far had been pretty cool,” Sharp said. “It’s always great talking with these guys.”

The local barber said he hopes to become a regular part of the tournament for years to come.

“When it comes to your barber, you’ve got to have trust,” Sharp said. “I get the same warm, fuzzy feeling when I take care of a client. When somebody compliments them on a fresh cut, that’s my gratifying moment.

“We’re not out here for any financial gain, we’re here to make people look good.”