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Duke basketball players face DWI-related charges

NCAA Basketball: ACC Conference Tournament-Duke Boston College

Mar 9, 2021; Greensboro, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Michael Savarino (30) runs the offense against the Boston College Eagles in the first round of the 2021 ACC men’s basketball tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports

Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. -- The grandson of Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski and the coach’s prized freshman recruit who’s considered a top NBA prospect face charges related to impaired driving, according to court records.

Michael Savarino, Krzyzewski’s grandson, was pulled over for a stop sign violation in rural Orange County just after 1 a.m. Sunday, said Sgt. Chris Knox, a North Carolina State Highway Patrol spokesman. The 20-year-old Savarino, a junior, was driving teammate Paolo Banchero’s white Jeep and admitted that he had consumed “several shots,” court records said.

A test showed Savarino had a blood-alcohol content of 0.08%, the level at which a driver is considered impaired, and he was arrested for driving while impaired and driving after consuming under the age of 21, records show. He was released under a written promise to appear in court on Dec. 9, and his license was temporarily revoked.

Banchero, who was riding in the back seat, was cited for aiding and abetting impaired driving and was released at the scene, Knox said. He has a Dec. 8 court date.

Charges of aiding and abetting a DWI can be brought when a person knowingly turns over a vehicle to someone who is impaired or fails to prevent an impaired person from getting behind the wheel.

The 19-year-old freshman was one of last year’s most coveted recruits and is expected to be picked early in next spring’s NBA draft.

Banchero was in Duke’s starting lineup for Tuesday night’s game against Gardner-Webb, the school announced in a tweet.

The team is reviewing a legal matter including two players and any further action will be determined by the university, Krzyzewski said in a statement that offered no additional details.