Duke center Marshall Plumlee will commit to donning a new uniform Friday—that of the red, white and blue.
Plumlee, a student in Duke's ROTC program, will take part in a contracting ceremony before Duke's practice Friday afternoon, which will effectively serve as his swearing-in to the U.S. Army, effective upon graduation.
David Behm, recruiting and operations officer for the Duke Department of Military Science, said the ceremony acts as a written agreement on the part of the student to accept a commission upon graduation.
Plumlee joined the Duke ROTC program during the 2012-13 academic year, undergoing a "really intense military independent study," Behm said. Plumlee was not part of the program last year as he worked to establish himself on the hardwood, but will look to complete the ROTC requirements by spring 2016, at which point he will become an Army officer.
In October 2012, head coach Mike Krzyzewski took his Blue Devils to Fort Bragg, where the team took part in physical conditioning and hosted an open practice for troops on the base.
On that trip, Plumlee spoke with Lieutenant General Robert Brown, who played for Krzyzewski's basketball team at West Point.
"[I think that trip] got Marshall interested in the Army, and serving a cause bigger than himself," Behm said.
The maximum height allowed by the U.S. Army is 80 inches, Behm said. Listed as a 7-footer on Duke's official roster, Plumlee stands four inches above that limit, but a special waiver was approved, allowing him to move forward with the contracting ceremony.
Students who graduate as commissioned officers from ROTC are required to complete eight years of service to the Army. That service can be completed as part of the Army Reserve, National Guard or active duty. Graduates wishing to serve in active duty must be selected, Behm said.
Duke's Army ROTC program consists of between 50 to 60 cadets, about half of whom attend Duke, with the other half enrolled at N.C. Central. Plumlee is the only Duke varsity athlete in the program, but Behm noted there are a few track athletes from N.C. Central.
Mousa Alshanteer and Daniel Carp contributed reporting.
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