Nation’s top basketball prospect Cooper Flagg commits to Duke University

It’s official: Cooper Flagg is headed to Duke University next year.

The Newport native and top high school basketball prospect in the country revealed his decision Monday morning, sharing an Instagram post with Slam 247 about his commitment to the perennial powerhouse and five-time national champion.

Connecticut, the defending national champion, was also in the running to land the 6-foot-9 forward.

“My decision to go to college was not easy at all,” Flagg said in the post, which included an audio recording. “…After I arrived on campus, I really started to imagine myself in Durham. All the love I felt made me really excited, seeing all the crazy and Cameron atmosphere. I am honored to have the opportunity to join the brotherhood.

The 16-year-old Flagg’s college choice had been a hot topic of conversation since his freshman season at Nokomis Regional High, during which he led Nokomis to the 2022 Class A championship. It has become a national talking point, however , since he transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida, had a dazzling performance for Team USA in the FIBA ​​Under-17 World Cup last summer and began to climb the list national hopes. He is reclassified to the class of 2024 in Augustallowing him to play in college a year early.

Flagg, who was not available for an interview for this story, is the nation’s No. 1 high school player according to Rivals.com and ESPN, and “the overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft,” according to ESPN.com.

“It’s almost surreal, it’s exciting,” said Kelly Flagg, Cooper’s mother and coach of his Maine United club basketball team. “We dreamed it as a family, we saw it. As a basketball family, we wanted something like this, but you never really believe it until you’re there. Seeing him realize his own dreams and his own destiny is truly awesome.

Flagg’s recruitment was the subject of national scrutiny and speculation. Kelly Flagg said making the decision was a relief.

“Now that it’s available, a lot of stress and weight has been lifted,” she said.

VERSATILITY SETS IT OUT

Montverde Academy head coach Kevin Boyle said the attention paid to Flagg’s recruiting was the most for any of his players since Ben Simmons in 2014. He expressed confidence Flagg will be able to adapt to high-end college basketball with the Blues. Devils.

“Guys who tend to struggle from high school to college or from college to the NBA are guys who have to change positions and the way they play,” he said. “In Cooper’s case, the way he plays with us and the way he will play with Duke is similar to the way he will play in the NBA.”

Boyle said Flagg’s versatility and ability to play as a forward and guard is what sets him apart from other talented prospects.

“He’s more complete than most guys,” he said. “There are guys who shoot better than him, but those guys don’t rebound as well as him or guard as well as him. There are guys who can pass as well as him or maybe a little better, but they’re lacking in some of those other areas. And when you (look at) his size and length and athleticism, you have a guy that you can see why the NBA and college are really excited about his potential.

Flagg’s introduction to Duke began early. Kelly Flagg, a Blue Devils fan, said she used to dress her and her twin brother, Ace, also a Division I prospect, in jumpsuits — Cooper in Duke’s royal blue, Ace in the lighter blue from the University of North Carolina. In college, Ace wore UNC colored ties, Cooper wore Duke.

As Flagg’s basketball career began to take shape, that interest in Duke, which has appeared in 17 Final Fours and produced three No. 1 NBA draft picks since 2011, continued.

“Cooper has been watching these teams since he was six, seven, eight years old until now,” Kelly said. “When we started thinking he was going to be able to play basketball in college, Duke was definitely on a list of schools.”

UCONN MADE A PUSH

Kelly Flagg said Cooper “leaned” toward Duke during recruiting, but UConn stepped up in the spring. She said Flagg was impressed with coach Dan Hurley and the program, and a visit to the school in September put the Huskies in the game.

“When we left UConn and came home, it wasn’t a foregone conclusion that he would go to Duke,” she said. “He was really, really drawn to what he saw at UConn.”

A trip to Durham two weekends ago for a second visit from Duke – this time officially, after an unofficial visit in August – proved decisive for the Blue Devils, however.

“He felt like he saw himself there,” Kelly Flagg said. “He said it felt like home, like this was where he was supposed to be.”

NCAA schools cannot comment on recruits until a high school athlete signs a national letter of intent, which for this fall’s basketball players may occur on Nov. 8.

According to the website on3.com, which tracks name, image and likeness (NIL) ratings of middle and high school athletes, Flagg ranks 28th with a valuation of $872,000. Kelly Flagg said the potential for zero profits was not factored into Cooper’s decision.

“We haven’t even had that conversation,” she said. “For us, that’s not what’s important.”

Flagg’s meteoric rise is unprecedented in the state. He turned heads in the winter of 2021-22, when as a freshman he was named Gatorade Player of the Year and Varsity Maine Player of the Year while leading Nokomis to its first state championship. Warriors beat Falmouth, 43-27Flagg scoring 22 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in the victory.

From there, Flagg’s national profile grew significantly. He was named the 2022 United States Male Athlete of the Year.the youngest to earn this distinction, after leading Team USA to a World Cup gold medal by averaging 9.3 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 2, 9 blocks per game.

Flagg joined prep basketball powerhouse Montverde in March 2022 and impressed in his sophomore season, ranking third on the team with 9.8 points per game and first with 1.6 steals and 2, 2 blocks per match. In July, Flagg made headlines while leading Maine United to second place in the Peach Jam tournament in South Carolina, a run that included a 34-point, 20-rebound performance in the semifinals.

Fans in Maine will have the chance to see Flagg perform live before heading to Durham. Montverde Academy has scheduled two matches which will be played in Portland on January 5 and 6. Montverde will play at South Shore High School in Brooklyn, New York, at Cross Insurance Arena at 7:30 p.m. on January 5, and at CATS Academy Boston in Braintree, Massachusetts, the following day. at the Portland Expo. The time of the second game has not yet been determined.

Flagg had his home state on his mind last week, posting to X, formerly known as Twitter, after the Lewiston shooting Wednesday night.

“We must focus solely on supporting victims, their families and law enforcement – ​​everything else can wait.” My heart is with Maine,” he wrote Thursday morning.

Kelly Flagg said Cooper planned to announce his commitment Thursday, but waited until Monday while the shooting and subsequent manhunt dominated the news.

“Our hearts and minds were there, with our home state, these people and what they’re going through,” she said. “At least feeling like the problem has been resolved allows everyone to start healing.”

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