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Coach K’s Grandson, Michael Savarino, Announces Transfer Commitment

He’ll join the team as a graduate transfer.

Zach Koons

Former Duke guard Michael Savarino, the grandson Mike Krzyzewski, announced his commitment to NYU on Monday evening, officially bringing his time with the Blue Devils to an end.

Savarino entered the portal as a graduate transfer in April after spending the last three seasons in Durham. A former walk-on who was placed on scholarship this past August, the junior guard appeared in 11 games during the 2021–22 campaign, averaging 1.1 points and 0.5 rebounds per contest.

Savarino is the son of Debbie Krzyzewski Savarino, the oldest daughter of Krzyzewski and his wife, Mickie. Debbie Savarino is an assistant athletics director at Duke.

Unfortunately, one of Savarino’s most notable moments in Durham came when he made headlines for an off-the-court incident last fall when he and Duke freshman star Paolo Banchero were pulled over in a November traffic stop. Savarino, 20, was charged with a DWI.

Despite the incident, Savarino managed to end his career with the Blue Devils on a high note. He was presented with the NCAA’s Elite 90 Award for men’s basketball, an honor given to the Division I athlete who has the highest grade point average out of all the teams competing at the site of the finals for each of the 90 NCAA championships.

“It means a lot, I spend a lot of time in the gym, but I spend more time in the books, so I guess that shows,” Savarino said at the time. “It just shows that Duke basketball is more about school than it is about basketball. Especially it being coach’s last year, family ties is all I got to say.” 

Savarino will now join the Violets in the Division III University Athletic Association conference, where he figures to have a chance for more playing time. NYU went 14–11 during the 2021–22 season.

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Zach Koons
ZACH KOONS

Zach Koons is a programming editor at Sports Illustrated who frequently writes about Formula One. He joined SI as a breaking/trending news writer in February 2022 before joining the programming team in 2023. Koons previously worked at The Spun and interned for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He currently hosts the "Bleav in Northwestern" podcast and received a bachelor's in journalism from Northwestern University.

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