Tag: 2025 NBA Draft

Paolo Banchero makes trip to deliver Gatorade NPOY award to Duke signee and projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg

Cooper Flagg joins prestigious club as he was named Gatorade National Player of the Year, and Duke great Paolo Banchero was there to give him the trophy.

The Brotherhood is genuine. People may not believe it, but Duke’s basketball brotherhood is authentic, and at this point, Duke has infiltrated basketball at all levels.

Former Blue Devil Paolo Banchero is in the midst of his second NBA season, and it’s been an exceptional year. He was named an All-Star for the first time and he’s led his Orlando Magic team into the playoff picture with a 42-29 record.

Before his days as the face of the Magic franchise, he spent a tremendous year in Durham as the face of Duke’s program during Coach K’s last season as head coach of the Blue Devils. While Duke came up short, losing to UNC in the Final Four, Banchero brought Duke to the national semifinals for the first time since 2015.

The mesmerizing, do-it-all power forward averaged 17.2 points and 7.8 rebounds as the focal point of their offensive attack. So it only makes sense that Banchero would pass that torch to the next do-it-all forward with a chance to be a No. 1 NBA draft pick.

Duke signee, the Class of 2024’s top overall recruit, and projected No. 1 draft pick in the 2025 NBA draft Cooper Flagg was named Gatorade Player of the Year on Wednesday, and Banchero was there to deliver the good news and the trophy to him.

It’s a full circle moment for Flagg, who grew up a Duke fan and is now months away from heading to Durham to write his chapter in the same way Banchero did.

Flagg, who was also named the Naismith High School Boys’ Player of the Year, led the No.1-ranked Montverde Academy to a 30-0 regular season record.

Like Banchero, Flagg is a dynamic forward capable of doing anything on the floor. The two differ mainly in the scoring department, where Banchero probably had a little more diversity in his ability to score the ball. Still, Flagg can pass, shoot, and dribble, and he is a better defender than Banchero was at this stage of his career.

Either way, Duke’s 2025 season will center on the newly minted Gatorade National Player of the Year’s ability to dominate on the basketball court. A Final Four trip like Banchero’s would be an incredible accomplishment for his likely one-year college career.

5-star prospect Khaman Maluach has committed to play at Duke

Khaman Maluach joins a talented recruiting class for Duke coach Jon Scheyer, including Cooper Flagg, Isaiah Evans and Patrick Ngongba.

Khaman Maluach, a 7-foot center from the NBA Africa Academy, has committed to play at Duke next season, the five-star prospect told Jonathan Givony of ESPN on Wednesday.

Maluach, who was born in South Sudan, chose the Blue Devils over Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA, the G League Ignite and the National Basketball League in Australia. He joins a talented recruiting class for coach Jon Scheyer, including Cooper Flagg, Isaiah Evans and Patrick Ngongba.

The 17-year-old started playing basketball roughly five years ago in Uganda. He joined the NBA Africa Academy in Senegal and has made a rapid rise up the rankings to become the third-ranked prospect in the class of 2024, according to 247Sports.

Maluach became the third-youngest player to play in the FIBA Basketball World Cup last year when he represented South Sudan. He totaled eight points, 15 rebounds and three blocks in four games to help South Sudan claim a berth in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

He was named an All-Star and Defensive MVP last month at the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp at NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana. He measured in with a 7-foot, 4 1/2-inch wingspan and a 9-foot, 8-inch standing reach.

Maluach is considered a potential top-five pick in the 2025 NBA draft as an international prospect born in 2006. He is highly touted for his size and versatility as a player who can shoot and defend, with his length and mobility.

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Travis Branham of 247Sports has crystal balled Khaman Malauch to Duke

Duke has its third prediction for the Blue Devils to land projected lottery pick Khaman Maluach.

Things are heating up in the Duke Blue Devils’ pursuit of what would likely be the final piece of their already historic 2024 recruiting class.

Khaman Maluach, a 7-foot-2 center from South Sudan, is nearing a decision and announcement about where he will play basketball next year.

Maluach is not ranked on 247’s website due to a policy they have on international recruits, but the moment he announces he plans to attend college in the USA, he will be added to the rankings and is a lock to be a five-star prospect. His talent speaks for itself, as he is already being mocked as a top-five pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Maluach has narrowed his decision to five options: Duke, G League Ignite, Kansas, Kentucky, and UCLA. Duke was his first visit before eventually visiting the other blue bloods listed. Still, despite his visits and conversations with the G League Ignite representatives, Duke has remained a constant. So much so that one of 247 Sports’ best basketball recruiting insiders has logged a crystal ball in favor of Duke landing the incredibly gifted prospect.

If said prediction comes to fruition, Duke could potentially have its best recruiting class of all time, shattering some of their other incredible hauls over the last ten years. Cooper Flagg is already in the boat and is the nation’s No. 1 player.

It doesn’t seem like hyperbole to think that if Maluach decides to play basketball for a year in college, he’ll be a top-five recruit. Add that to five-star Isaiah Evans and Kon Knueppel and four-star high school teammates Patrick Ngongba II and Darren Harris, and it’s hard to imagine a better haul in recent high school recruiting memory. The Blue Devils would have five players within the top 20 of 247’s rankings.

An announcement is expected before the end of March. Whether or not Duke lands Maluach is still to be decided, but the momentum favors Duke as we enter the waning hours of this recruitment.

South Sudan to make history with third-youngest player ever in FIBA World Cup

South Sudan is set to make history by having one of the youngest players ever in the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

When South Sudan takes the court in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the men’s national team will make history with one of the youngest players ever to compete.

Khaman Maluach, 16, was named to South Sudan’s 12-man roster for the World Cup on Thursday. He will be the third-youngest player to suit up in the tournament, which started in 1950, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

The 7-foot-2 Maluach started playing basketball roughly four years ago in Uganda. He then joined the NBA Africa Academy in Senegal and is one of four players from the academy competing in the World Cup, joining Cui Yongxi, Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels.

Maluach is on pace to graduate high school in the summer of 2025. He has received college offers from Duke and UCLA and will be eligible to enter the draft immediately because he is an international prospect born in 2006.

South Sudan became a sovereign state from Sudan in July 2011 and joined FIBA two years later. The team, whose president is Luol Deng, will be competing in its first international event outside of Africa at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

The group will open its tournament on Saturday against Puerto Rico in Group B in Manila, Philippines (4 a.m. EDT, ESPN+). The team will also face China on Monday (4 a.m.) and Serbia on Wednesday (4 a.m.) to round out the group phase.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the second round.

South Sudan is headlined by free agent Wenyen Gabriel, Chicago Bulls guard Carlik Jones, Maine Celtics guard Marial Shayok and Peter Jok, who attended Iowa. The group went 3-2 in its exhibition schedule ahead of the event.

The FIBA Basketball World Cup will help seven countries qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. The seven spots include the top two teams from both the Americas and Europe (not including host France) and one team from Africa, Asia and Oceania.

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No. 1 prospect Cooper Flagg sets first three official college visits

Flagg, the consensus top-ranked recruit in the class of 2024, has his first three official college visits planned out.

Five-star prospect Cooper Flagg, the consensus top-ranked recruit in the class of 2024, reportedly has his first three official college visits planned for this fall.

Flagg announced this month he planned to reclassify from 2025 to 2024 after a productive summer of performances in competitions across the country. The reclassification was expected given rumors of the potential move emerged months ago.

The 6-foot-8 forward from the Montverde Academy has apparently identified his first visits after his reclassification. His mother, Kelly, told Travis Branham of 247Sports that he has visits to Duke, Kansas and UConn scheduled.

Flagg is expected to be a highly recruited one-and-done college prospect. He recently took an unofficial visit to Duke and will take his official trip to Durham this fall. He has also been offered by Michigan, Texas, UCF and Villanova among other programs.

He was the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year while playing for Nokomis Regional High School prior to arriving at the Montverde Academy. He is highly touted for his defensive ability and has an evolving offensive game that will translate well to the next level.

Flagg will meet the cutoff date to be draft-eligible in 2025; he turns 18 in December 2024. He will likely be projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft ahead of Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, Tre Johnson and Dink Pate among others.

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Cooper Flagg will become No. 1 prospect after reclassifying to class of 2024

Flagg, a 6-foot-8 forward from the Montverde Academy, announced on Friday that he will be reclassifying to the class of 2024.

Cooper Flagg, a 6-foot-8 forward from the Montverde Academy, announced on Friday that he plans to reclassify to the class of 2024, a move that will make him eligible for the 2025 NBA draft.

Flagg was initially listed as the No. 2 prospect in the class of 2025. However, he will be the top-ranked recruit in the class of 2024 in 247Sports’ rankings after a productive summer of performances in various competitions across the country.

The reclassification was expected after rumors of the potential move emerged months ago. He is expected to be a highly-recruited one-and-done college prospect and recently took an unofficial to Duke. He has also been offered by Kansas, Texas, UCF and UConn.

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Flagg was the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year while playing for Nokomis Regional High School prior to arriving at the Montverde Academy. He is highly touted for his defensive ability and has an evolving offensive game that will translate well to the next level.

He was named MVP in June of the National Basketball Players Association Top 100 Camp in Orlando, Florida. He dazzled at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam, averaging 25.4 points, 13 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 6.9 blocks in seven games.

Flagg will meet the cutoff date to be draft-eligible in 2025; he turns 18 in December 2024. He will likely be projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft ahead of Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, Tre Johnson and Dink Pate among others.

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