As you’re leaving Beyer someday, go toward Hyland and stop by Monty’s barber shop.

Remember, you’ve just played a few games of pick-up ball, and your hair was getting in your face every time you took a jump shot or leapt up to grab a board (sort of like Luke Axtell, the Texas Longhorn whose head weighs more than the rest of his body).

If that happens, the place to go is most certainly Monty’s. For some intelligent sportstalk, the latest issue of Sports Illustrated and the best haircut in Ames, there is no place like Monty’s place.

Each time you go, you get to see some of Monty’s regulars. For some of them, the haircut is probably the highlight of their day. I’ve been going to Monty’s for about a year now, and my dad had been going for a lot longer with my older brother, until a brief break after my brother left home.

But happily, we’re going back to Monty’s, and each haircut is again a lot of fun.

Monty has a rich history: He’s been cutting hair in Ames for 28 years. He has a steady stream of clients all hours of the day. Usually, they’re guys who have been working already, or guys who are going to back to work or guys whose shift hasn’t started yet.

He also has professors, and NBA stars Jeff Hornacek, Fred Hoiberg and Loren Meyer on his client list.

The talk at Monty’s is always lively. It should be. He says that his favorite thing as a barber is “dealing with people.”

His clients don’t just come for a haircut either. They come for the stories and the interaction. Allen Aalsburg, a Monty’s regular, says he comes whenever he needs a haircut, but that his favorite part is “hearing these guys tell stories.”

“Hearing them tell true stories,” Monty quickly interjects.

While I was chatting with Monty today, the postman walked in carrying the latest Sports Illustrated, plus a wealth of fiery opinions. The postman, known at the shop as the “Biggest Hawk fan in the world,” stayed for a good 15 minutes, bantering furiously with Monty, the customers and me.

He fired out several theories on the state’s athletic status. The postman said that if the Hawkeyes had been selected to the NCAA Tournament, they would have been praised for playing the schedule they had.

He added that Iowa and Iowa State both needed a center and a guard to succeed and claimed that nobody cares about the NIT (or, as he called it, the not-invited tournament).

Finally, he declared that any of the women’s teams in the state could beat any of the men’s teams.

Monty is a guy who makes his point in as few words as possible. So it’s not easy to coax a lot of quotes from him. But when you’re talking to him, he has so many points to make and such a sharp insight into things that you’re always on your toes.

Monty doesn’t think this season in Cyclone land has been particularly good. He should know. He’s been going to ISU sporting events on and off (“Mostly on,” he says) since 1971.

He calls this season “boring.” He’s a pretty sharp critic of the football team, especially since he remembers the good old days. That, he says, is one of his favorite subjects. “I like reminiscing about old players at ISU,” he said.

Monty isn’t a guy who is high and mighty about morality in sport. During a discussion of juniors jumping to the NBA, he was talking about Michigan’s Robert “Tractor” Traylor, who was on the cover of SI, and said, “If I were him, with the money out there, I would go.”

Monty seems to know all about everyone in Ames. You mention a name, and he will give you a brief history of him or her and the person’s family, with amazing depth and insight.

In short, Monty is a great guy who has the best place for a haircut in town.

So the next time you feel like Luke Axtell, go get a trim at Monty’s. For just eight buckaroos, you get a custom-made haircut, a side dish of great sportstalk and local news for dessert.

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Jayadev Athreya is a junior in mathematics and computer science from Ames.