Duke freshman star Paolo Banchero put up 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds Tuesday in the Blue Devils’ 92-52 win over Gardner-Webb just days after being cited for 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.
“We had a violation of our standards, and we’ll handle that internally. We’ve already handled it,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said after Tuesday’s game. “Violations of our standards. And that’s it.”
It is unclear what, if any, punishment that Banchero or Savarino may face from the school. However, Savarino was not with the team for its game vs. the Bulldogs on Tuesday while Banchero got the start, and Krzyzewski acknowledged after the game there are “two different situations” between the two teammates. The 20-year-old Savarino registered a .08 on a Breathalyzer test during his traffic stop, the legal limit in North Carolina.
“Two entirely different situations,” Krzyzewski said. “Headlines might make it look it’s the same — it’s not. The decisions we made are in conjunction with our authorities — my superiors. We’re taking action and will continue to take action.”
Banchero, the preseason ACC Player of the Year, played only 26 minutes against Gardner-Webb in the blowout win. He was averaging 19.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in three previous 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.
