Duke basketball player Michael Savarino, grandson of coach Mike Krzyzewski, faces DWI charges alo...

ByJeff Borzello ESPN logo
Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Duke guard Michael Savarino, grandson of coach Mike Krzyzewski, and star freshman Paolo Banchero face DWI-related charges after Savarino's arrest early Sunday morning.



According to court records obtained by The (Raleigh) News & Observer, Savarino, 20, was arrested on DWI charges and Banchero, 19, was charged with aiding and abetting DWI.




Savarino was pulled over early Sunday morning after a stop sign violation, and an ensuing breathalyzer test showed a blood alcohol content of 0.08. That's the legal limit in North Carolina. He is also accused of failure to yield at a stop sign and driving after consuming. His license was revoked for 30 days, as is standard under North Carolina law. He was taken into custody without incident, a police spokesman told WTVD television.



According to citations obtained from the Orange County District Court by the News & Observer, Savarino was driving a white 2017 Jeep SUV registered to Banchero, who was a passenger in the back seat.



Banchero was charged with aiding and abetting DWI and was cited and released.



"We are reviewing a legal matter involving two members of the men's basketball team," Krzyzewski said in a statement to the newspaper. "Any further actions as a result of this situation will ultimately be determined by the Vice President/Director of Athletics and University officials."



Savarino's court date is Dec. 9, according to the newspaper; Banchero's is Dec. 8.




No. 7 Duke beat visiting Gardner-Webb 92-52 on Tuesday night. Banchero got the start, finishing with 10 points. Savarino did not play.



"Two different situations,"Krzyzewski said of the decision to start Banchero. "Two entirely different situations. Headlines might make it look like it's the same -- it's not. The decisions we made are in conjunction with our authorities, my superiors. We're taking action. We took action and we will continue to take action."



Of the incident as a whole,Krzyzewski said: "We had a violation of our standards, and we'll handle that internally. We've already handled -- are handling it. But, violation of our standards. And that's it."



Banchero is a potential No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA draft and is averaging 19.3 points and 8.7 rebounds through three games. Savarino is a former walk-on who was put on scholarship last summer. His mother isKrzyzewski's oldest daughter. She is an assistant athletics director at Duke.



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