"He loves the game and wants to play collegiate basketball," Krzyzewski told WRAL Sports' Jeff Gravley. "He attended each of these camps, but he adores Duke. He wanted to attend Duke, which I applauded because he earned it, and if he is going to Duke, he should be a part of our basketball team as a walk-on." Savarino attended Durham Academy's high school basketball program, where he played three years on the varsity level. As a senior, he averaged 7.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game.
Savarino is the son of Debbie Savarino, the youngest of Krzyzewski's three daughters. He began his career with the school as a walk-on in 2019 before being offered a scholarship in the summer. He appeared in four minutes Friday in Duke's 82-56 victory against Army, recording one rebound. Banchero, the preseason ACC Player of the Year, leads the Blue Devils with 19.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game after three games. Banchero, a 6-foot-9 forward with versatility, is the No. 1 prospect in CBS Sports' 2022 NBA Draft prospect rankings and the No. 1 pick in CBS Sports' most recent NBA Mock Draft.
Read more about it here. Similarly, who will succeed Coach K? Nathaniel James. James is the most probable contender on the Duke staff at the moment to take over as the Blue Devils' men's basketball coach. The 40-year-old played under Krzyzewski from 1996 to 2001, assisting the Blue Devils in reaching the Final Four twice during that time.
Duke started the season ranked ninth and was fourth coming into Saturday's matchup against North Carolina. The Blue Devils dropped to sixth in Monday's Associated Press poll. Duke has one of the most skilled rosters in the nation. Duke has a chance to have up to five players picked in the first round of the NBA draft in 2022.
