Duke basketball fans in Durham and around the country held their breath in the final minutes of the season opener against Maine on Monday night when [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] fell to the court.
The top-ranked freshman and presumed No. 1 NBA draft pick tried to stand but quickly returned to the floor, and the Cameron Crazies surely imagined the worst. Flagg quickly gestured to his calf, however, and he confirmed afterward that he just felt a cramp.
In fact, according to a video from Carolina Blitz’s Vashti Hurt, Duke basketball head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] even turned the moment into a learning experience.
“Coach even came to me right after I started cramping and was telling me he wanted to give me the experience of playing extended minutes like that,” Flagg said. “And it’s definitely something different, something I haven’t experienced before with this long of a game.”
“So kind of just getting that feeling and understanding that it’s a different level of preparation, a different mindset, and a different way I have to come ready to play,” he concluded.
Flagg said he felt like he hydrated well before the game, but he’d discuss with the trainers how to avoid similar problems in the future.
The 17-year-old finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals in his regular-season debut.