Barbershops and Card Games: An Off-the-Field Look at BC's Defense
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Publisher
Tyeus "Ty" Clemons' room is the team barbershop. Well, one of them.
The Boston College defensive lineman started cutting hair this summer, according to defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku, Clemons' classmate and roommate.
"He's actually pretty good," Ezeiruaku said. "I let him cut my hair."
Linebacker Bryce Steele said he allowed Clemons give him a shape up once, and that's a testament to the young D-Lineman because Steele is very particular about his hair.
"I don’t really trust a lot of guys to touch my hair," Steele clarified.
But Steele—who usually goes to Classic Barber Shop on Washington Street—vouched for not only Clemons but also do-it-all defensive back Josh DeBerry as "pretty good barbers." DeBerry is the other player targeting the BC football barbershop market. And, if you ask graduate corner Elijah Jones, "DeBerry's Cuts" has the edge.
DeBerry has been cutting his own hair since he arrived at BC in 2019, Jones said. DeBerry transformed last season, swapping his canopy of dreads for a short look.
Jones mentioned that the barbershop rivalry between Clemons and DeBerry is building.
"They both kind of challenge us," Jones said. "They both post things about giving haircuts, each trying to compare who's better and who goes to who."
Jones added: "Josh is a DB so if another DB goes to Tyeus, it's like, 'Oh, you're gonna go to Tyeus over me?' And vice versa. So it's kind of funny."
Clemons and Ezeiruaku's room often doubles as a card game hub. Every day, for hours at a time, BC's defensive players will indulge in "Spades" and "Tunk."
"It gets real hectic on the Spades table," Jones said.
Jones has arguably spent more time playing "Dominoes" with strong safety Jaiden Woodbey, associate head coach/DBs coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim and, now, wide receivers coach Darrell Wyatt.
Jones, an Everett High School product who has started games at corner each of the last three seasons, admitted that it took him a little bit to start winning. At first, Abdul-Rahim had his number, he said. But he downloaded the app and kept on practicing.
"I just can't let 'em win," Jones said. "It's the competitive spirit in me."
That competitive spirit carries over from the gridiron to the dorms—not just for Jones but throughout the defense.
Woodbey and Jason Maitre, a safety duo in 2021, have fueled a fierce series of Connect 4 this summer.
Maitre said he wins most of the games. Woodbey disputed.
Then the former Florida State transfer conceded.
"He had me at first," Woodbey said.
Then there's Steele and fellow linebacker Jaylen Blackwell, Steele's roommate and classmate. The underclassmen have taken up the cross-platform, online battle royale video game "Fortnite."
Steele said they mostly play "no build duos" but that they'll occasionally gather a few more teammates for a round of "squads."
Regardless if it's with a trendy video game like "Fortnite" or timeless activities such as "Spades" and "Dominoes," BC's defense is all about spending time together.
In the third year of the same system, the unit is in sync.
Both on and off the field.
Perhaps the only divide is between two makeshift barbershops.
