If Blue Devil fans were disappointed that they will no longer see Nick Pagliuca on the bench after his graduation, they now have another walk-on guard to support.
Mike Buckmire, a 6-foot-2 guard from Blue Bell, Pa., was added to Duke's roster last week. Buckmire will join junior Brennan Besser as the only walk-ons on the roster after redshirt sophomore Justin Robinson was given a full scholarship in August. Buckmire also becomes the Blue Devils' eighth freshman, the most the team has had since 1986-87.
At Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia, Buckmire averaged 22.1 points per game as a senior and scored 1,144 career points. The Chestnut Hill Local reported at the start of his senior year that he was receiving interest from Division III schools near Philadelphia.
"He is a hard-worker, an enthusiastic supporter of his teammates, a great example of leadership, and passionate about improving himself every day," Germantown Friends School Director of Athletics Katie Bergstrom-Mark said in a school release. "It was these qualities, plus his impressive talent and intellect, that led to his opportunity to try out and become part of the Duke basketball program."
Buckmire is in the team photo Duke tweeted from last Saturday's Knockout Harvey fundraiser on the front right. He has a family Duke connection, as his father Michael Buckmire played on the Blue Devils' 1986 national champion men's soccer team.
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