Take away the Maryland thing, and lets all applaud Rasheed for taking such a huge disappointment in being cut from a team he loved and not quitting on himself. I think it is a rare 21 year old kid who gets kicked off his college team and stays and graduates from the same school. Motivated by the ability to play next year or not, that isn't an easy thing to do, especially from a place like Duke.
He could blow his ACL first game next year and still have the world on a string with that Duke degree he is expected to get in August. I'm very happy for him that he is accomplishing that, right now it seems small and just a step to play basketball again faster, but in reality that is the biggest news of all of this in terms of overall impact on his life moving forward.
With all that said, I hate Maryland, glad they're not in the ACC anymore and due to that fact I'll be able to root for Sheed more easily than if that were not the case.
Sidenote- This is a great case to refer to any time anyone says, "Well Duke bball players get preferential treatment compared to normal Duke students in the classroom and thats why they graduate a high percentage." or whatever variation the haters will throw out. If Duke bball players were only graduating due to preferential treatment, then there is no way Sheed graduates this August. A guy not only kicked off the team, and therefore no longer valuable to the bball program, but also with rumors of sexual assault hanging over his head is not a guy that continues to get the claimed easy road or preferential treatment at a university. This fact makes me even more proud of the graduation rate that got some publicity during the Final Four this year, and got critics using the line I quoted above.