ASTORIA — Stefano Tighe can often be seen sitting courtside at Astoria, Warrenton and Seaside basketball games, where parents, players and others come by to shake his hand.

Tighe has become a fixture in the local sports scene, taking on the role of mentor for many young athletes.

Either through parents reaching out or by reputation, Tighe has around 70 young people in and out of his home hair studio. He started cutting his own hair in 1990 and has made it into his business.

“I retired fully in 2020, so I do everything for free,” Tighe said. “Sometimes kids on their first visit try to give me a tip, but I don’t take it. I want to teach these kids the right way to do things, and something like free haircuts and a mentorship is something I hope these kids will understand more as they get older.”

Tighe was born and raised in Astoria and attended St. Mary’s, Star of the Sea School and Astoria High School. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1989 and served until 2010. But it was a back injury in a boating accident two decades ago that led Tighe to his real passion.

He spent his last several years in the Navy as a counselor in recruiting offices, building connections with young men who were considering the military. He realized this work was what he enjoyed.

“Kids have so many more distractions today,” he said. “When I grew up it was just skateboards and bicycles, but kids now have access to all kinds of technology, which in my opinion has made it much harder for them to enjoy life. I take it upon myself to be a mentor for these kids and help them stay on the right path and enjoy this community.”

Tighe likes being a bridge between so many different athletes. Young people from Seaside, Warrenton and Astoria might text him about upcoming games they want him to attend, while parents will approach him with updates on how their children are doing.

Something else that Tighe enjoys doing is giving tours of the city. He told a story about how one of Jordan Poyer’s friends from the NFL reached out wanting to see where the Buffalo Bills safety grew up.

“I want to give a tour of Astoria through my eyes,” Tighe said. “As someone who’s lived in a number of different places, there’s no place like Astoria and the Oregon Coast. I’m proud to be a ‘Goonie’ and want to share that experience with anyone who reaches out.”

While the Navy showed him different places, Tighe was drawn to home, and he moved back to Astoria for good in 2020.

“My daughter (Ava) wants to graduate from my alma mater,” he said. “I’m also someone who plays a lot of golf and whoever I end up playing with, I will make it a point to promote their business and just spread love to everyone I encounter.”

Tighe’s message is simple: always be positive.

“We’ve got a bad enough world already, so the goal for me is to be positive and understand how lucky we are to live in Astoria,” he said.