St. John's cheers up 7-year-old with basketball signing ceremony
Harlem Beal. 7, signs letter of intent to become a part of the St. John's family. Credit: St. John's University
St. John's University added the smallest member of its men's basketball team — ever — Friday when 7-year-old Harlem Beal signed a letter of committment at Carnesseca Arena.
Harlem, from Long Island City, met with Red Storm coach Chris Mullin and forward Marvin Clark II, at the signing ceremony, the school said.
Beal was introduced to the Red Storm through the national nonprofit Team IMPACT, which gives children facing serious and life-threatening illnesses the opportunity to meet with local college teams.
“We’re really excited that Harlem has chosen St. John’s University,” said Mullin, whose team enters Sunday’s Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival matchup against Princeton at 8-0. “We feel he’s going to be a great addition to our team. He’s a winning player and I think he’s going to be a great fit with our program. We have a bunch of players here and they’re all excited to welcome him to our team.”
Harlem, who said joining the Red Storm felt “good,” will be in attendance for the team’s upcoming home game against Wagner on Dec. 16.
“We’re definitely excited to have Harlem join our team,” said Clark, who is averaging 10.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. “He’s somebody that’s been through adversity, knows how to take adversity. He’s somebody that knows what it takes to commit and put the time in to get better. I’m definitely excited to have him as part of the team.”
