Alvin known for arrest

VESTAL, N.Y. – Whatever “dumb” thoughts Malik Alvin had walking into that Wal-Mart, he had no clue that he would soon be the butt of countless Internet jibes, that when he finally made it to Sports Illustrated, the magazine’s Web site would honor him with its “Dumb Arrest of the Day.”

This week, the Philadelphia Simon Gratz High School graduate will play in the NCAA tournament, starting at point guard when Binghamton University takes part for the first time in March Madness, facing Duke on Thursday in Greensboro, N.C.

Alvin is best known for the circumstances of his arrest in October. He was charged with stealing a box of 36 Magnum condoms from a Wal-Mart near Binghamton’s campus.

Another misdemeanor offense, a third-degree assault charge, was added after police said Alvin knocked over a 66-year-old customer as he tried to run from security guards who had confronted him. (That charge was later dropped.)

Alvin isn’t excusing himself. “Dumb” was the word he used. The 20-year-old just wasn’t prepared for seeing himself every time he turned on his computer.

“I couldn’t stop looking, because everywhere I went, it was being brought up,” Alvin said.

That was especially the case after the news came out that Binghamton offered condoms to its students for free.

“The hardest thing I’ve ever been through,” Alvin said of his ordeal.