Scott Radley: When his soccer buddy died of brain cancer, Luke stopped trimming his hair. Now he’s making the cut.

The hair is majestic. Fabio-esque. When he sets it free from the man bun that often holds it in place, it tumbles almost to his belt. And as he talks, he absent-mindedly strokes and combs it with his fingers.

He's going to miss it.

It's been a reminder of Justin," Luke McConnell says.

Yeah, this is a story about hair. But more than that, it's a story of friendship.

Nearly a decade ago, the Ancaster native was playing soccer on a men's team in Hamilton. FC Schalke it was called. Along with a talented-but-shy 14-year-old named Justin Masotti.

The younger players on the team trained hard. The goal was to become good enough to find their way to Europe where they could play pro. So they worked at it five days a week. Not just playing soccer. Running and then running some more. Under the blazing summer sun and through the freezing winter.

We used to train for four hours," McConnell says. It was such a commitment and such a grind to achieve what we wanted to."

In that crucible, guys become close. Which is what happened with the two teenagers. They became buddies.

So it was a massive shock to McConnell when he found out that Masotti had been diagnosed with brain cancer. He heard the news while he was in England after achieving what he'd hoped to by landing a spot on a team there. He'd keep up on developments as best he could. He'd catch signs of hope, followed by dips of despair, followed by hints of optimism, followed by more devastating updates.

When Masotti died on April 20, 2017, at just 18, McConnell was stunned. And now dealing with the usual thoughts so many people have when something like this happens. It's so sad. It's so close to home. It's not fair.

I was living our dream," he says.

Back then, McConnell was the owner of the kind of brush cut that would make a marine proud. Every few weeks he'd pull out the clippers and take it almost down to the wood. It was convenient, it was easy for soccer and, frankly, it was his look. It's how people around here remember him.

Not anymore. He decided almost immediately that this would be the vehicle to honour his friend. He'd grow it out until, well, he didn't set an end date.

Turns out soccer isn't the only thing the 25-year-old is good at. Follicular cultivation is clearly another strength. He chuckles that he quickly passed the baseball hair phase, then the hockey hair phase and even the surfer-dude hair phase. Recently, he's in the people-mistake-him-for-a-woman phase.

It wasn't always comfortable. Sometimes it was a pain. But as he had to wash it, comb it, bun it, put elastics in it and keep it out of his eyes - even as he's played for teams in Portugal, Greece, the Netherlands and now Finland - it's done what it was supposed to do. Serve as a constant reminder of his friend.

The last five years, Justin has had a daily influence on my life," he says.

Now it's time to finish it.

On Oct. 2, a workshop and game for blind soccer players is being held at Tim Hortons Field. A friend of his who runs a group called Soccability is running it. McConnell plans to cut his hair off before then as part of a fundraiser to help with the cause. To help create a legacy for Masotti.

It's a beautiful idea. But why blind soccer?

Mike Masotti is Justin's dad. He explains that in the days before his son passed away, the cancer had spread and his boy had gone blind.

If he had survived, he wouldn't have had his eyesight," his dad says.

Explained that way, it's a perfect fit.

Funny thing though. As blown away as Mike's been by the sentiment and by McConnell's efforts, he's even more surprised.

Last time he saw his son's old teammate was years ago. Before the latter had left for Europe. That was during the buzz-cut era. Masotti-the-senior had no idea what McConnell had been doing with his locks in the time since or how much of an impact Justin had made on him. Nobody had told him someone on the other side of the world was remembering his boy every single day.

I can't believe it," he says. It's wonderful."

He didn't learn about it until McConnell called a short time ago and showed a photo of his new look. Then explained the plan.

A GoFundMe Page (go to gofundme.com and search Justin Masotti") has been set up to donate to the haircutting effort. The hair itself will be given to groups that make wigs.

McDonnell can't be back here to take part. His Finnish team is in season. That's part of what this is about. He says he recognizes that he has a chance to continue chasing his dream while Masotti doesn't.

He hopes his hair can somehow make a difference. But he will miss it.

It will be bittersweet."

CORRECTION: The story was updated Sept. 18 to fix the date of a workshop and game for blind soccer players at Tim Hortons Field. The event is Oct. 2.

Scott Radley is a Hamilton-based columnist at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sradley@thespec.com