Duke freshman star Paolo Banchero was in the starting lineup Tuesday night as the the Blue Devils welcomed Gardner-Webb into Cameron Indoor Stadium after he was cited early Sunday morning with aiding and abetting DWI. Banchero, the frontrunner to go No. 1 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, was a passenger in the back seat of his own vehicle driven by teammate Michael Savarino, the grandson of Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski, at the time of the incident.
Savarino is facing a DWI charge in addition to a charge for failure to yield at a stop sign. Banchero’s citation of aiding and abetting DWI is given in North Carolina to individuals in North Carolina who knowingly encourage, aid, advise or instigate another person to drive or attempt to drive while impaired.
It is unclear what, if any, punishment that Banchero or Savarino may face from the school, though Savarino was not with the team for its game vs. the Bulldogs. The 20-year-old registered a .08 on a Breathalyzer test during his traffic stop, the legal limit in North Carolina.
Banchero, the preseason ACC Player of the Year, is averaging 19.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in three games for Duke on the season. Savarino has played only four minutes on the season where he recorded one rebound in a blowout win over Army.
