Wichita State men’s basketball has 13 scholarships available every season. With the signing of senior center Matej Bošnjak over the summer, the team was one scholarship short, so senior guard Harlond Beverly volunteered to give his away.
“Me and (WSU head) coach (Paul) Mills had a conversation about needing an extra scholarship for an incoming player, and I was very comfortable making that switch to becoming a walk-on for the betterment of the team,” Beverly said.
Mills said that the conversation happened after a weights session.
“(Beverly) said, ‘Where do we get the scholarship from? How about if I volunteer mine?’” Mills said.
Bošnjak said the story “confirmed” his positive opinion of Beverly.
“Harlond is a great guy,” Bošnjak said. “I have had good chemistry with him on the court and off the court since I got here. I did not even know that story before it came out.”
Mills said giving up his scholarship is a “testament” to who Beverly is and a “tribute to his parents.”
“I think it speaks, one, to Rebecca, his mom, and Clayton, his dad, that they’ve raised a wonderful young man,” Mills said. “Everybody’s aware of the sacrifices that a mom makes and a dad makes on behalf of their kids. Very few times do you see young people making sacrifices on behalf of the greater good of everybody else.”
One last run
Beverly attended high school at Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida.
He started his collegiate career as a Hurricane at the University of Miami (Florida). In his four seasons, Beverly played in 91 games, starting 21 of them. He averaged 5.3 points a game, 2.3 rebounds per game and two assists per game.
During Beverly’s final season in the Sunshine State, the Hurricanes made a Final Four appearance.
“Being around (a team) that has won a lot of games and moved far into the tournament, it just brings experience,” Beverly said. “You understand what it looks like, what needs to be done and just the type of commitment that is needed to go make those deep runs.”
After that season, Beverly entered the transfer portal and later committed to play in the Sunflower State. Beverly played in 33 games last year, starting in all of them. Beverly averaged 11.2 points a game, 5.1 rebounds per game and a team-leading 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
Going into his final season, Beverly wants to go out on top.
“Just winning a lot of games,” Beverly said. “That’s really all that matters for me. Go out and finish my career as a winner and leave it all out on the floor.”
