It’s hard to separate the gravity of the charges against Michael Savarino and Paolo Banchero from the absurdity of the situation.
Of all the things that could have gone awry in Michael Krzyzewski’s final season at Duke, his grandson being arrested for DWI while driving Banchero’s car, with the superstar freshman in the back seat, according to the arrest report, was never even on the board.
There’s so much going on here that it’s going to be difficult to entangle before Duke hosts Gardner-Webb on Tuesday night, not least of which is the obvious nepotism issues involving a coach disciplining his own grandson that requires the personal involvement of new athletic director Nina King.
But this much is simple: The optics are bad enough, but they’re going to be even worse if either plays against Gardner-Webb.
Savarino certainly won’t. It would be unprecedented for any player to participate in college athletics under these circumstances, let alone a relative of the head coach. That’s beyond obvious. It’s reasonable to expect an indefinite suspension that lasts longer than Grayson Allen’s one game, and whatever punishment Duke doles out is probably going to pale in comparison to the fury he’ll face from his relatives.
Banchero is a more delicate situation. The unusual “aiding and abetting” charge against Banchero may not be as significant as the DWI charge against Savarino, but it’s still a misdemeanor charge. That said, it’s a strange allegation, and it’s probably less a significant legal entanglement that requires discipline than an immature mistake that still does.
The stakes for both Duke and Banchero could not be higher this year; this is exactly the kind of thing that should not and cannot happen.
In 2014, North Carolina suspended running back Romar Morris for one game after he was arrested on DWI charges. This isn’t apples to apples, but that would seem appropriate here.
Whatever Duke does or doesn’t do, there’s nowhere to hide. Banchero, the first freshman ever to be named preseason ACC player of the year, is as high-profile a player as there is in the country and a potential No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Throw in Krzyzewski’s grandson, and even in a normal season at Duke, this would be one of the biggest stories in college sports.
But this isn’t a normal season. Even by Duke’s extraordinary standards, the Blue Devils are in the spotlight thanks to Krzyzewski’s retirement tour, and every nuance of how this situation is handled will be scrutinized, discussed, unpacked and critiqued as much as Allen’s recidivist tripping ever was.
This is going to alter not only the narrative surrounding Krzyzewski’s final season — it’s not all bouquets and garlands now — but the arc of what is still a very young Duke team. In the wake of the remarkable season-opening win over Kentucky, the Blue Devils weren’t exactly at their best in hard-fought wins over Army and Campbell, and now they have this to deal with.
Krzyzewski’s impending retirement and the ongoing handover to Jon Scheyer was enough of a distraction for any team, let alone one relying heavily on six freshmen and sophomores. Now his biggest star and own grandson, of all people, have managed to compound all of it with an unacceptable lapse of judgment.
