The Duke Blue Devils practiced in Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time on Monday night, and it didn’t take top-ranked freshman [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] very long to establish his presence in the arena.
The Duke social media team posted a clip of Flagg intercepting a pass from new teammate [autotag]Mason Gillis[/autotag], a transfer from the Purdue Boilermakers. The steal gave Flagg a free runway to the hoop at the other end of the court, and the Maine native easily converted the opportunity into a two-handed dunk.
Blue Devils coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] has praised Flagg for his effort on the defensive end throughout the entire offseason, and the presumed No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft went on The Brotherhood Podcast earlier this summer and described himself as someone who takes pride in doing the little things correctly.
All of the team’s offseason content, from Monday’s clip to scrimmage videos, only validates the idea that Flagg will instantly be one of the best defenders in the sport.
https://twitter.com/DukeMBB/status/1838332902465040799
Gillis got a little redemption later in the practice with a contested 3-pointer over freshman 7-footer Khaman Maluach, something he excelled at with his old school. The fifth-year senior made 46.8% of his triples in 2023-24.
https://twitter.com/DukeMBB/status/1838333273115676879