FOUNTAIN VALLEY : Coach Loses Hair Over League Title

Fountain Valley High School Coach Gordon Billingsley has had several close shaves while guiding his boys’ basketball team to a Sunset League championship this year--but nothing like Wednesday.

While 2,500 students watched and cheered, Billingsley sat in a chair in the middle of the basketball court while one of his players cut off his medium-length dark brown hair and shaved his head.

Billingsley was making good on a promise he made earlier in the season to his players: If they won the championship, they could shave his head. The regular season ended last weekend with Fountain Valley on top of the standings.

Billingsley, who also teaches algebra and geometry, said the stunt was something that the players talked about throughout the season.

“It was a fun thing,” Billingsley said. “I don’t think it made us play any better, but it helped build team unity and it kept the team loose.

“I’m going to be a little bit self-conscious, but at least it will take care of itself,” he said of his new look.

Doing the honors was team member Javier Scalini, who said he received the barber equipment as a Christmas present and cuts the hair of about 10 of his friends, including several basketball players.

“It’s fun. I might do it as a part-time job,” he said.

“Coach complained that I pulled his hair. I asked him if he wanted me to do his eyebrows and he said no,” he said.

Forward Brandon Leimbach said the head-shaving business started as a joke when Phil Domingo, another player, had his head shaved before the first game of the season. “It’s been a lot of fun and we’ve talked about it a lot,” Leimbach said.

Wednesday’s shearing came at a pep rally aimed at building school spirit for Fountain Valley’s boys’ and girls’ basketball teams, both playing in the postseason CIF championships, and in honor of other school athletes.