SUMTER, S.C. — The gentle buzz of Jesse Wilson’s hair clippers is the starting note for the harmonious blend of sounds that make up the Saturday morning rush at Precision Cuts Barbershop.
Hip-hop blares from the radio as warm conversation and laughter fill the air. Hugs and handshakes are exchanged like currency by patrons who have been coming here for decades. Unwritten rules are followed without explanation: no cursing and no reservations — first come, first served. A devoted few rose with the sun to be first in line, waiting in their vehicles at a strip mall in the shadow of the Shaw Air Force Base for the shop to open its doors at 8 a.m.
In the waiting room, muted SportsCenter highlights play with mentions of the NBA Playoffs and the town’s favorite son, Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant — a favorite topic in the shop that’s a local institution. It’s two days before Morant would suffer a knee injury that would put his status in doubt for the remainder of a playoff series against the Golden State Warriors.
“I’ve been coming here, well, probably since I was his age,” said Malcolm Roach, 22, while pointing at his 5-year-old son, Kayden, sleeping soundly in a chair across the waiting room. “It’s always been the spot, a place that feels like family. A lot of things change, but this place stays the same.”
Many in the barbershop have known Ja his entire life through his father, Tee, who cut hair at Precision Cuts for two decades while raising a family six miles north in Dalzell. They were the first to believe in the greatness of an undersized kid with oversized dreams. They were the least surprised when he made it.
“He’s like a combination of a Derrick Rose and a young Allen Iverson,” said 27-year-old Marquise Jackson, who graduated from Crestwood High School five years before Morant became a local star with the Knights. “Watching Ja play, you know something’s going to happen.”
Shelton Cooper Sr. nods in agreement while reliving the 47 points Morant dropped on Golden State during Memphis’ 106-101 Game 2 win in the Western Conference semifinals earlier that week. There’s back-and-forth discussion about Morant’s place in the game of basketball and reminders of the countless college programs that whiffed on recruiting a generational talent.
“He plays like a dog,” Cooper said. “If there are two dogs and one food bowl, you know Ja’s going to get that bowl. Where we’re from, you don’t back down. That’s how he plays.”