@theloniusmonk and @observer12, the Duke basketball program is subject to extensive and on-going scrutiny, and to date has passed muster. There is a substantial difference between the way Duke and Stanford run their athletic programs and many others do. When the current football coach at Duke moved over from the SEC he noted that his first road trip was enlightening. He stated that prior to joining Duke he had never seen one student open a text book on a road trip let alone a full bus load. Year in year out Duke is a leader in number of academic all-Americans. If you look at the majors of these student, many are in areas of study we all would agree are rigorous (with coursework befitting a top 10 academic institution). Please make comments based on actual knowledge, not hearsay or conjecture.
@observer12, Zuckerberg and Gates were admitted based on having their unique set of gifts and Williamson, Barrett and Reddish for having a different set of gifts. All 5 had the ability to learn and be shaped substantially in their one year in college (academically and culturally) and to go on to substantially influence the future of our country, albeit in very different ways (and certainly more than the average graduate of Duke or Harvard). While clearly Gates and Zuckerberg have influenced our culture as entrepreneurs in the tech space, and, in the case Gates, as a humanitarian and philanthropist, it is demeaning to suggest that what Williamson and others do as role models to millions of young malleable youth is not also of vital importance. How their future messaging is shaped as they go through a one year crucible at Duke is important and valuable to their development and to our society as a whole.
As I said before, today there are income generating alternatives to a year in college (Europe, China and the D-league, among others). Most Duke student athletes choose to go to college (even if for only one year) because it is a better alternative in terms of quality of experience, education and, in the long run, quality of life. Greyson Allen could have left Duke after his stellar Sophomore season and been a 1st round draft choice. He chose to stay 4 years.