Duke basketball freshman [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] comfortably feels like the most anticipated high-school prospect since former Blue Devil [autotag]Zion Williamson[/autotag].
After an undefeated senior season at Montverde Academy and some viral clips of him scoring against the U.S. Olympic team during training camp scrimmages, Flagg earned the top spot in every national recruiting ranking and feels like a shoo-in for the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
Just don’t expect those expectations to matter much to the new Blue Devil.
During the team’s media day on Friday, head coach Jon Scheyer said Flagg does a great job showing up and putting effort in during practice despite the level of attention he already receives.
“I don’t think he likes the attention, to be honest,” the third-year Blue Devils coach said. “Wants to be just like the other guys.”
The competitiveness and dedication Flagg shows during training has been highlighted over and over with Scheyer himself saying it was the main thing that drew him toward Flagg during the recruiting process.
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Scheyer also made it clear to fans that Flagg, who won’t turn 18 until December, will need time to adjust as he plays among 22 and 23-year-old college athletes.
“Beginning of the season, he’s going to go through some stuff,” Scheyer said. “That’s part of it. But being there for him in those moments and then growing as a player is why he came to Duke.”