The Cameron Crazies won't have to worry about not seeing No. 20 on the court this season.
No, Elliot Williams is not reneging on his decision to transfer to Memphis. Instead, the number will be bestowed upon Andre Dawkins - formerly a top recruit from the class of 2010-now the newest Blue Devil, who will officially matriculate a year earlier than anticipated.
"It's been exciting, knowing that the dream is so close,'' Dawkins said. "And now, it's really going to happen."
The five-star shooting guard, ranked third in the class of 2010 at his position by Scout.com, confirmed to The Chronicle that he passed the final class he needed to graduate, English 12, last Monday and received his high school diploma Friday.
He added that he'll wear Williams' old number this season while playing under head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
"We are excited about Andre joining our program," Krzyzewski said. "He is a very talented player and an excellent student. He worked hard throughout his high school career and this summer to put himself in this position. He will be an outstanding addition to the University and our basketball team."
Dawkins was able to graduate a year early because he had already attended four years of high school-he went to a public school for one year before transferring to Atlantic Shores Christian School, where he was classified as a freshman again.
His family began exploring the option of attending Duke a year early and found that he needed to pass just English 12, which he did online this summer.
"He studied hard and worked hard to pass his course, and we're all very excited," Dawkins' father, also named Andre, told The News & Observer.
The 6-foot-4 guard will add sorely-needed depth to a Duke backcourt that became severely depleted over the offseason. Greg Paulus' graduation, Gerald Henderson's decision to leave school early for the NBA and Williams' transfer to Memphis left the Blue Devils with only two scholarship guards-junior Nolan Smith and senior Jon Scheyer.
Dawkins, though, isn't worried about the big stage he's about to be thrust into. He's just ready to play.
"I'm going to do whatever they need me to do," he said. "I'm just ready to get into that first game."
Dawkins averaged 20.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game last season at Atlantic Shores.
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