The Duke Blue Devils are hurting after a loss to ACC rival NC State in the Elite Eight, but they can take solace in the fact that Cooper Flagg will soon land in Durham for what should be the most electric one-and-done college hoops season since Zion Williamson.
Flagg wrapped up his prep career at Montverde Academy with a perfect 33-0 record and a decisive 79-63 romp over Paul VI to win this year’s high school national championship.
Those who love the NBA Draft — bless y’all first of all, for the NFL Draft is far superior — are having to feign excitement this year until Flagg inevitably hits the NBA in 2025 and hears Adam Silver call his name as the No. 1 overall pick. Not to prematurely crown Flagg, but anyone with a functioning brain and a modicum of understanding of basketball skills knows that he’s the prohibitive favorite for that honor.
Longtime hoops reporter and analyst Jeff Goodman recently put this out into the X/Twittersphere, and it sure didn’t seem like an April Fools’ joke.
To say the 2024 NBA rookie class has the worst collection of talent ever is saying something when the 2013 draft exists.
Maybe Bronny James has a shot at going high this year after all. Anecdotally, the 2013 NFL Draft was also one of the worst of all-time. Painful year of sporting there.
Anyway, more saliently to Cooper Flagg, if this isn’t an optimal argument for repealing the prohibition of players jumping from high school straight to the NBA, I don’t know what is. Flagg would easily be the first pick in the draft if he were eligible this year. I guess he has to go stick out a year at Duke and hopefully avoid injury. Them’s the rules! At least Flagg can cash in on what should be some downright historic NIL deals.
There really isn’t much Flagg can’t do on the hardwood. In Saturday’s game, he showed off his excellent 3-point shooting range, his elite shot blocking ability, and even got out into the open floor for a quick transition dunk off a swat on the perimeter.
As you can see by the box score, Montverde Academy has a lot of good players, but Flagg is the catalyst that makes it all go. It’s wild that a kid from Maine is about to take the basketball world by storm next season not dissimilar to how Caitlin Clark has captured the hearts and minds of America in leading Iowa to a second straight national title game.
The UConn men are gearing up for their second straight Final Four and are aiming for back-to-back natties. Flagg is one of three 5-star recruits who’ll join the Blue Devils next season to try to knock the Huskies off their perch as the dominant team of the moment. Although he’ll be off to the NBA soon enough, brace yourself, sports fans. Cooper Flagg is about to give us one of the most highly anticipated individual seasons of college hoops in a long time. All indications are, Flagg will more than live up to the hype.
