A Binghamton University basketball player who was suspended from the team after being charged with third-degree assault has been reinstated, a BU spokesman said.
Malik Alvin, a 20-year-old junior guard, was charged with third-degree assault and petit larceny, according to Vestal police, following an incident when he tried to leave the Wal-Mart in Town Square Mall in Vestal without paying for two boxes of Trojan Magnum condoms Oct. 26. According to police, Alvin ran into and knocked over an elderly woman while a store employee pursued him. The woman, 66, suffered a concussion and was transported to a local hospital.
Alvin was suspended from the team shortly thereafter. He was arrested and arraigned in Vestal Town Court Nov. 6. Alvin pleaded innocent to both charges. Alvin could face up to a year in prison if convicted on either of the charges.
According to Associate Director of Athletics for Communications John Hartrick, Alvin was cleared to rejoin the BU basketball team, effective Nov. 29, after multiple meetings with the Broome County District Attorney, his own attorney and a meeting with the woman he stumbled into.
“Alvin has expressed deep remorse about the entire incident, and in particular about any discomfort she may have experienced,” Hartrick said.
Hartrick said Alvin will participate in community service, the mode of which is to be determined internally.
Hartrick also said the University would not comment on the situation anymore as they considered the matter to be resolved.
“We have been given assurances from the DA and [Alvin’s] lawyer that this issue is essentially resolved,” Hartrick said.
Alvin transferred to BU this year from Chipola College in Florida. He also spent a season at the University of Texas-El Paso. Alvin set freshman records for assists (137) and steals (45) while at Texas.
The BU junior scored 14 points during his first game over the weekend, and 11 at the basketball game against Quinnipiac University — averaging 12.5 per game since his suspension.
Alvin was the second men’s basketball player this year to garner negative off-the-court attention. In May, Miladin “Minja” Kovacevic was arrested and charged for allegedly beating another student at a bar Downtown. Kovacevic has since fled the country, raising headlines nationwide as state officials call for his extradition back to the United States.