addByline("Zach Rosen", "WashingtonWizards.com", "ZacharySRosen");
On Tuesday morning, right after dropping 43 points against the Warriors, Bradley Beal made his mark off the court.
As part of his continued partnership with Ron Brown College Preparatory High School (RBHS), Beal sponsored a bus and arranged a tour for 50 students at Howard University.
The students arrived mid-morning on a bus sponsored by a small portion of Beal’s $25,000 award from the NBA for winning the 2018-19 NBA Cares Community Assist Award. Beal, of course, won the award primarily for his work with the Ron Brown students. This was Beal’s fourth bus he has sponsored for college tours for RBHS. In November, he provided the transportation for visits to Lincoln University, Morgan State University, and Salisbury University.
Beal was unable to attend those visits, but this time, he wanted to make sure he joined the Young Kings at Howard.
“Their lives are moving fast, and before you know it, college is here,” Beal explained. “We just want to get them ready and prepare for the next level.”
To begin the day, the group met with five student ambassadors as well as members of the admissions and enrollment office. They spoke about their mixed backgrounds and answered questions, including what it’s like to go to a historically black college and university (HBCU).
Then, the students were granted a surprise visit. They headed upstairs to meet with the President of Howard University, Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick. For 30 minutes, Dr. Frederick answered dozens of questions from the students in what was an impactful experience for all those involved.
Beal, along with Monumental Basketball Chief Planning Officer Sashi Brown, also met with Dr. Frederick while the students started their official walking tours.
“Dr. Frederick is unbelievable,” Beal said after the meeting. “Just to see what he’s accomplished and to see what his vision is. To see his passion for the young kids and the youth at his young age is motivational. It inspired me to have a relationship with him moving forward.”
For Beal, meeting with Dr. Frederick was important for him as he hopes to get his degree sooner rather than later.
“I always tell kids that I have four brothers,” Beal said. “The thing that I have against them is that I’m in the NBA, but they all have degrees and I don’t. That’s something that challenges me in a way. I want to get my degree and that’s something I take pride in, especially being a man of color.”
The students split up into three groups and explored campus for their official tours. To round out the day, Beal provided lunch to the students before they headed back to school.
Beal has kept his promise in continuing to partner with Ron Brown and its students. It's bigger than basketball.