Tag: Countdown to Craziness

Cooper Flagg says the Duke basketball atmosphere ‘kind of shocked’ him

Cooper Flagg played in front of the Cameron Crazies for the first time on Friday night, and even the top-ranked freshman felt their presence.

[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], the top-ranked freshman in college basketball and the much-anticipated addition to Duke basketball history, made his Cameron Indoor Stadium debut on Friday night at the Countdown to Craziness.

While the Maine native looked smooth on the offensive end during the two intrasquad scrimmages, he said after the games that he felt the crowd more than he expected.

“I wasn’t ready for that, man,” Flagg said. “It kind of shocked me a little bit. I had energy but I felt it in my lungs a little bit, just being a little bit gassed.”

Flagg still played well despite his words. The presumed No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft helped the White team to a 20-17 victory in the first 10-minute game, and he finished with 13 points between the two contests.

The freshman gets two more games in front of the Cameron Indoor Stadium crowd before the regular season begins. The Blue Devils host Lincoln on October 19 before the Brotherhood Run game against Arizona State (and head coach Bobby Hurley) on October 27.

Watch Cooper Flagg’s introduction at the Countdown to Craziness

Duke basketball fans finally got formally introduced to Cooper Flagg on Friday night. Watch his first moments in Cameron Indoor Stadium here.

After an entire high school career of hype and an offseason of anticipation, Duke basketball fans were formally introduced to [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] on Friday night.

The Blue Devils hosted the Countdown to Craziness, their preseason intrasquad scrimmage, at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Before Flagg and his teammates took the court, each member of the roster got introduced to the home crowd. Predictably, nobody got a bigger roar than the top-ranked freshman.

The presumed No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, Flagg already signed an NIL sponsorship deal with New Balance. He didn’t lose a game as a senior at Montverde Academy, and he went to Team USA Olympic training camp as the only collegiate player on the Select Team.

He took over the court at times despite sharing the court with former NBA MVPs, prompting national analysts to question whether NBA teams should intentionally throw their season for his draft rights.

Flagg makes his regular-season debut at home against Maine on November 4.