Need a fresh cut? Meet KU basketball's personal barber

LAWRENCE, KS. (KSNT) - Not everyone's barber comes to their home for a haircut, but one barber in Lawrence has been doing it for months. He managed to combine his love for sports with his love for cutting hair, leading him to set up shop in McCarthy Hall on KU's campus. 

"In 2019 we got sent home back for COVID, we didn't really have a barber in my hometown who was doing like fades or anything," barber Drew Reed said. "So, me and my friends from home, we just kind of took it upon each other to kind of give each other haircuts. And it was a lot of trial and error, but after a while I kind of got the hang of it and found an interest in it."

Fast forward about three years later, and business is booming. Originally from Wichita, Reed now works at a barber shop in Lenexa during the day, but in his spare time, he cuts hair for the KU men's basketball team. The 'Jayhawk Barber Shop' is located inside McCarthy, where the men's basketball team resides. Not only does it overlook the practice court, but it gives Reed plenty of space to do his work. 

"After I learned how to cut, it's pretty much just kind of passively cutting and keeping the relationships going just getting to know the guys," Reed said. "So it's cool to kind of have that like personal basis with them when I see them, you know, on TV doing their thing."

When telling the story of how he got the gig with the team, Reed said he saw KU player Michael Jankovich one night and told him his hair was looking a little shaggy. Of course, Reed asked him if he needed a barber, and Jankovich agreed. He told Reed he was tired of driving all the way to Kansas City to get his hair cut, so having a barber in Lawrence was much more convenient. Reed now cuts hair for multiple players, including a few of the new freshmen. 

"It's pretty awesome that we do have a barber that's right down the hall from our rooms," KU freshman basketball player Wilder Evers said. "So stuff like this, on a random Thursday night, and being able to come and get cut really fast and it doesn't take too much out of your day, so it's awesome."

Each cut is typically about $30. Evers has been one of Reed's clients for about three months now, and so have some of his teammates. Reed and Evers have his particular cut down, but each player prefers their own style. 

"Cam [Martin] always gets this kind of high fade, Jankovich kind of gets a fade a little lower and then Gradey [Dick] barely gets anything cut off at all," Reed said.

For Reed, cutting hair is the perfect combination of doing something he enjoys and getting paid for it. It's a win-win for everybody, because the players love it too.