Tag: Cooper Flagg

Duke commit Cooper Flagg named 2023-24 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year

Cooper Flagg, the top prospect in high school, has been named the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

Cooper Flagg, one of the best high school prospects of the decade and leader of the 31-0 Montverde Academy (Fla.) Eagles, was named the 2023-24 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year on Wednesday.

The Duke commit received the award from former Blue Devil Paolo Banchero, a star on the Orlando Magic.

(Credit: Joe Greer)

“It’s just an incredible honor to be included in this list of players,” Flagg said to Yahoo Sports of the award that has been given to stars like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Jayson Tatum. “Just seeing how all the hard work is paying off and it just motivates me to keep getting better and better.”

Flagg is a 6-foot-9, 195-pound do-it-all wing who can score at all three levels, plus play elite defense with the size and speed to guard one through five and strength to block shots. He’s also a good passer, showing off his modern-day skill set at Montverde with averages of 16.1 points, 7.6 rebounds,3.9 assists, 2.7 blocks and 1.6 steals per game his senior season.

“I’ve gotten to know Cooper a little bit at Jayson’s camp,” Banchero said to the Orlando Sentinel. “It’s just been awesome following his journey, and to present him with an award like this, it’s dope for him and also myself.”

Montverde has been the clear-cut No. 1 team in the Super 25 all season long behind Flagg and a bevy of five-star talent around him. The Eagles are undefeated heading into the Chipotle tournament in early April, having taken down several of the next-best teams in the country.

Flagg reclassified from 2025 to 2024 in August, shortly after he dominated at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam, in which he averaged 25.4 points, 13.0 rebounds, 6.9 blocks, and 5.7 assists per game while posting a double-double in all seven games and recording three triple-doubles, all with points, rebounds, and blocks.

As the projected top pick of the 2025 class, he committed to Duke over UConn and Kansas. In an interview with SLAM Magazine, he talked about the decision:

“I think after I got on campus at Duke, I really started to feel it, to be honest,” he says. “That’s something the coaches definitely stressed to me, that once you get to campus, it’s something you have to feel. And [I knew then] I wanted to go to Duke and that’s where I wanted to play college basketball. What went into the decision, I mean, I was just looking for a coaching staff I was really comfortable with, but [also] a coach and staff that was really going to hold me accountable. Being on the visit, I got to see them in practice, and see how they were holding their guys accountable, and really pushing them to be better.

Montverde is prepping for the Chipotle Nationals basketball tournament, formerly known as the GEICO Nationals, but Flagg has one more trophy for his mantle before that begins:

He is the 2023-24 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

(Credit: Joe Greer)

Finalists named for the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year

The Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year finalists were announced on Thursday.

On Thursday, the three finalists for the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year were announced. The top two players in the USA TODAY High School Sports Top 10 were among the finalists.

Last year, class of 2026 forward Cameron Boozer Jr. of Christopher Columbus (Miami, Florida) won the national award.

The three finalists for this year’s Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year are:

  • Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey: The No. 1 player in the nation in the USA TODAY High School Sports Top 10. A 6-foot-8 forward from McEachern (Powder Springs, Georgia), Bailey is committed to Rutgers.
  • Cooper Flagg: A Duke commit, Flagg is a 6-foot-9 forward at Montverde (Montverde, Florida). Flagg is the second-highest-ranked player in the USA TODAY HSS top 10 and is the Naismith Player of the Year.
  • VJ Edgecombe: Ranked as the ninth-best player in the nation by USA TODAY HSS, Edgecombe is a guard from Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, New York). He is heading to Baylor this summer.

The three finalists will also be named their state’s Gatorade player of the year.

Last week, the finalists for the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year Award were announced.

Cooper Flagg and other recruits attend UNC game at Cameron

Duke signee Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 recruit in the country, and several of his upcoming classmates showed up to support the Blue Devils against UNC on Saturday.

If you think you saw Cooper Flagg on your television during Duke’s regular-season finale against North Carolina, you aren’t going crazy.

The No. 1 recruit in the 2024 class and the leader of what’s shaping up to be a historically good freshman class made an unofficial visit to Durham over the weekend, attending the rivalry game against the Tar Heels to support his future school.

247Sports’ Adam Rowe reported that fellow signees Isaiah Evans, Patrick Ngongba II, and Darren Harris all also attended the game as an unofficial visit.

The quartet is part of a 2024 recruiting class that features five of the top 18 players in the country and six of the top 50.

Flagg and his teammates will be joined on the court next season by five-star center Khaman Maluach, the No. 3 overall recruit in the class who committed to Duke on Wednesday.

Cooper Flagg named Naismith High School Boys’ Player of the Year

Future Duke Blue Devil Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 recruit in the country, was named the Naismith High School Boys’ Player of the Year on Friday.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Cooper Flagg is standing out among his peers.

The Duke signee and No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2024 was named the Naismith High School Boys’ Player of the Year on Friday for his performance with Montverde Academy so far this season.

According to MaxPreps’ data, Flagg has scored 16.1 points per game as a senior while shooting 55% from the floor. He also averages 7.6 rebounds and an eye-popping 2.7 blocks per game, working his 6-foot-9 frame to his advantage.

Despite his size, however, he’s shown off excellent ball skills with 3.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game as well.

Flagg is 247Sports’ top-rated recruit in the 2024 class and a member of Duke’s vaunted upcoming recruiting cycle. The Blue Devils have commitments from the third, 12th, 17th, and 18th overall players in the site’s rankings.

Flagg’s Montverde Academy team is undefeated in 31 games so far this season.

Blue Devils land projected 2025 lottery pick Khaman Maluach

Duke lands massive prospect as 2025 center Khaman Maluach has committed to Duke.

Ahead of their biggest game of the season against their rivals with a chance to take home a share of the ACC regular season title, the Duke Blue Devils just received a significant boost to their 2024-2025 season.

Projected lottery pick and soon-to-be five-star on every primary recruiting website Khaman Maluach announced his commitment to Duke Wednesday afternoon.

Maluach is a massive commitment, figuratively and literally. He stands 7-foot-2 and will slot into the center spot soon to be vacated by Kyle Filipowski at year’s end. He brings rim protection, which the Blue Devils have missed the most defensively this season after losing Dereck Lively to the NBA.

However, he’s a much more refined offensive product who can handle the ball, shoot and facilitate for others. Combine that with the athleticism and lateral quickness to guard on the perimeter, and you have something special.

In short, there’s a reason he’s projected as the third overall prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft behind his soon-to-be teammate Cooper Flagg.

Maluach has been on Duke’s radar for a year, and as they methodically built a relationship with him from Durham all the way to Africa, where he hails from. Duke has remained a constant despite visits to Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA, and advances from G League Ignite.

“Duke is home, that’s where I belong.” Maluach said in a conversation with ESPN. “This was the hardest decision I’ve ever made. I felt like I could succeed anywhere, but I was most comfortable going to Duke. All the schools recruiting me are big-time programs, but in terms of my development and the relationships I built with the coaches, they were the best.”

Maluach has an impressive basketball resume already. This summer, at 16 years old, he helped his native country of South Sudan qualify for the Paris Olympics as one of the youngest players in FIBA World Cup History.

He plays at the NBA Academy Africa and will headline the World team at the Nike Hoop Summit next month, where he will take on his future teammates Cooper Flagg, Isaiah Evans, and Patrick Ngongba II.

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.

New mock draft from The Athletic has Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain as first-rounders

Duke’s Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain are first rounders in Athletic mock draft.

The NCAA season has hit its stride and is streaking towards March, which means conference tournaments followed by the Big Dance.

At this point, every college basketball team has played well over 20 games, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that teams have begun to separate themselves from the pack as we gear up for what figures to be another hotly contested NCAA Tournament.

As the NCAA Tournament nears, it also signals that college basketball is ending, and with that, we will be even closer to the 2024 NBA Draft. While many pundits have declared this a less star-filled draft class for months, there is still a plethora of prospects that could develop into meaningful NBA contributors down the road.

Duke has done its part for the last decade in producing NBA talent, which figures not to stop this year. The Athletic released a new mock draft (subscription required) on Tuesday, and the Blue Devils have two projected first-rounders as things stand right now.

The obvious choice is their talented big man, Kyle Filipowski. Filipowski is having a solid year, and writer Sam Vecenie has Filipowski projected to go ninth to the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite the Thunder being the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, the abundance of draft capital they have accumulated over the years will remain valuable. They are ahead of schedule in their rebuild and can still land lottery-caliber talent despite playing some of the best basketball in the NBA this year.

Adding Filipowski would give the Thunder a multi-faceted big man to play behind Chet Holmgren and allow them to stretch defenses due to Filipowki’s ability to shoot 35% from a distance.

Elsewhere in the first round, long-range assassin Jared McCain was mocked to the Atlanta Hawks at 19th overall. McCain is shooting 41% from deep and has showcased a well-rounded offensive game, scoring at all three levels. Despite his smallish size and the fact that he may never be a true point guard, McCain’s offensive upside as a shooter has him being compared to former Blue Devil Seth Curry. He is also a terrific rebounder for his size and position and plays tough.

If McCain continues shooting at or above 40 percent, he will be drafted in the first round in June.

Notably, Mark Mitchell and Tyrese Proctor are nowhere to be found in this mock draft. Both returned to school to improve their draft stock and while Mark Mitchell has improved this season, his lack of a 3-point shot has impacted his pro prospects. He’s a tweener forward with a good inside game but cannot stretch defenses the way the NBA prefers.

Is it possible for Mitchell to come back for a junior season? With NIL, money is less of a worry for prospects not guaranteed to go to the second round. The same can be applied to Tyrese Proctor. Two unfortunate injuries have cut into many games for Proctor. He has yet to leap like many thought he would in year two, but his value to Duke is notable. They are a better defensive team, and his assist-to-turnover ratio is one of the best in the ACC.

Would Proctor consider coming back to Duke? Or transfer out for opportunities elsewhere following the season? If Proctor were to come back and run the backcourt with Caleb Foster and be the ultimate facilitator as Duke welcomes the nation’s number one player in Cooper Flagg and a plethora of talented freshmen shooters in Isaiah Evans, Kon Knueppel, and Darren Harris, it would be a boost to his pro prospects as a lead guard.

These decisions are looming for the Duke basketball program, and we still have tournament season before we see how it all works out.

Top 2024 recruit and Duke commit Cooper Flagg reacts to Jared McCain’s 35-point game

The Blue Devils guard tied a program freshman record with 35 points against the Seminoles, and it caught the eyes of the top 2024 recruit.

Duke freshman Jared McCain turned heads with his Saturday performance against Florida State, scoring 35 points to tie a program freshman record.

The first-year guard made eight 3-pointers for the game, the most in a single game by a Blue Devils freshman, after he made seven of his eight attempts from beyond the arc in the opening half. His epic game put him in the same breath as Blue Devils freshmen like Zion Williamson and J.J. Redick.

The stellar performance caught the eyes of everyone in the nation, including the No. 1 2024 recruit and Duke commit Cooper Flagg.

Flagg, who plays for Montverde Academy in Florida, was asked about McCain’s 35-point performance in a social media video shared by League Ready on Saturday night.

“That really embodies who he is,” Flagg said. “I feel like he was hunting his shot and it was falling…(People) kind of underestimate how good he really is.”

McCain is averaging 13.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game as a freshman thus far.

Five takeaways from No. 9 Duke’s 76-67 win on the road against Florida State

Five takeaways from No. 9 Duke’s 76-67 win over Florida State.

Duke entered the day just a half-game out of first place in the ACC as they entered a pivotal part of the schedule.

UNC, the conference leaders this year as it stands, remained the leaders as they disposed of Virginia Tech at home. Behind Duke, Virginia held off Wake Forest at home to remain hot on their trails as they look to close the tiny gap between them and the Tobacco Road teams for the lead in the ACC.

To stay a half-game behind, Duke (20-5, 11-3 in the ACC) needed a win on the road in Tallahassee, Florida. They received just that behind one of Duke’s most memorable freshman performances in years. Freshman guard Jared McCain poured in 35 points on 12/20 shooting and 8/11 from three-point land.

McCain was exceptional from the opening tip and continued until the final buzzer. Duke was without sophomore point guard Tyrese Proctor, who suffered a concussion in the Blue Devils’ home game against Wake Forest early in the week. Meanwhile, sophomore Kyle Filipowski was also plagued by foul trouble and only scored eight points. Combine that with Duke turning the ball over 16 times, and Duke needed every bit of the effort they received from everyone who played on Saturday to beat Florida State (13-12, 7-7.)

In a vacuum, it’s one of the better wins of the season, even if it doesn’t look like it on their NCAA resume.

With that said, here are five takeaways from the game itself.

Watch: Duke commit, 5-star forward Cooper Flagg puts a defender on the floor with this crossover

Cooper Flagg is just so smooth.

Cooper Flagg is pretty decent at basketball.

On Friday night, Flagg’s Montverde Academy (from Montverde, Florida and No. 1 in the USA TODAY HSS Super 25) played Long Island Lutheran from Brookville, New York (No. 7 in the USA TODAY rankings)

The game, at Hofstra University was a showcase event for two of the top programs in the nation. And Flagg didn’t disappoint, at least not early on.

The nation’s top player, Flagg is a five-star forward and a Duke basketball commit. In recent weeks, there has been some buzz that he might lose the No. 1 overall recruit status to Ace Bailey, a Rutgers basketball commit.

The argument is that Bailey’s athleticism potentially could give him a higher ceiling than Flagg. Flagg, however, is not disappointing against Long Island Lutheran.

Playing on national television on Friday night, Flagg has eight points, four rebounds and five assists at halftime. Oh, and one opponent he put on the floor.

Check out this move:

 

Ice water in his veins.