A senior sacrifice: Beverly gives up scholarship to Wichita State basketball teammate

Someone was going to have to make a sacrifice.

When the opportunity to bring Matej Bosjnak over from Croatia materialized this summer, Wichita State men’s basketball coach Paul Mills didn’t hesitate to say yes to a skilled, veteran big man who could potentially help the Shockers immediately this season.

But saying yes also created a numbers crunch on scholarships for the team, which was already at its limit with 13 scholarship players.

Simply put, someone had to give up their scholarship.

Instead of an awkward situation developing, senior guard Harlond Beverly immediately volunteered to become a walk-on.

To outsiders, it may seem like a stunning move from a former blue-chip recruit who played in a Final Four for Miami not even two years ago and averaged 11.2 points last season for the Shockers.

To Beverly, it was a “no-brainer.”

“I’m just grateful to be in this position where I can play Division I basketball while getting my Bachelor’s and working toward my Master’s degree,” Beverly said. “It’s really just a blessing to be in college.

“I’ve been to two really good schools and that’s really going to be helpful for my future, so I understand how helpful college can be. If I can help someone else get a full-ride scholarship, like one of my teammates, then I don’t mind being the one to sacrifice when it’s beneficial to our team.”

In the era of the transfer portal and NIL money, that level of selflessness is becoming increasingly rare from college basketball players.

Mills said Beverly’s decision has been right in line with the character he has displayed since joining the program before last season.

“You have to be pretty secure in yourself and not care about what people might label you or if they look at you any differently in the locker room,” Mills said. “For Harlond, he’s experienced winning and winning at a really high level. So he’s secure in himself and he wants to win and he wants to be a part of it.

“In order to be a part of it, you have to make sacrifices and this is a pretty substantial one on his part. I would tell you that he not only volunteered to do it, he was eager to do it, to be honest with you.”

After averaging 11.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists last season while starting 33 games, Beverly is arguably the most established returning player on WSU’s roster.

Whether or not he is a scholarship player does not impact Beverly’s ability to cash in on his name, image and likeness and he will likely be taken care of by the growing bankroll in the Wheat Shock Collective to help offset the costs of tuition, room, board, fees and books.

But Beverly was well within his rights to expect NIL money on top of his scholarship for his final season of college basketball. The Detroit, Mich. native said he was raised to not feel entitled to anything.

“I feel like that perspective comes from my parents,” Beverly said. “Growing up, they taught me that I was privileged. I’ve been able to go to school for free for the past five years and earn my degree. I’ve set myself up to be successful in life, so that’s made it very easy for me to be grateful. There’s a lot of stuff to be grateful for. I’m breathing, I get to play basketball, I have really good teammates and great coaches. That makes it even easier to feel grateful.”

That level of perspective and maturity is what makes the 23-year-old a leader for WSU, both on and off the court.

The decision like the one Beverly just made only deepens the respect between him and his teammates.

“This says everything about Harlond and how he’s a guy who will put the team first,” fellow WSU senior guard Xavier Bell said. “He cares about the brothers in the locker room with him and he’s doing whatever the team needs him to do. That speaks volumes about his character.”