Cooper Flagg

Cooper Flagg (born December 21, 2006) is an American basketball player. He attended Nokomis Regional High School in Newport, Maine as a freshman before transferring to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida. Flagg won multiple national high school player of the year honors as a senior and was ranked the top recruit in the 2024 class. He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils, where he was named a consensus first-team All-American and the consensus national player of the year.

Early life and high school career

Flagg was born in Newport, Maine, and initially attended Nokomis Regional High School. He became the first freshman to be named the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 20.5 points, 10 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 3.7 steals, and 3.7 blocks per game. Nokomis won the Class A state championship with Flagg scoring 22 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in a 43–27 win against Falmouth High School in the state final.

Flagg transferred to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, at the end of his freshman year of high school. Prior to the beginning of his first year at the school, he played in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) for the Florida Eagles, an Amateur Athletic Union team affiliated with Montverde. Flagg was named the MVP of the 2023 Hoophall Classic after scoring 21 points with five steals, five rebounds, and three assists in Montverde's 85–63 victory over La Lumiere Academy. He also was named a semifinalist for the Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award. Flagg averaged 9.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and three assists per game in his first season at Montverde. After the season, he played for Maine United in the EYBL and averaged 25.4 points, 13 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 6.9 blocks in seven games at the Peach Jam tournament. Flagg reclassified to the 2024 recruiting class after his sophomore year.

Flagg was selected to play in the 2024 McDonald's All-American Boys Game. On March 27, 2024, He was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year. Flagg was also named Mr. Basketball USA and the Naismith Prep Player of the Year. He finished the season averaging 16.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.7 blocks per game during his final high school season while leading the Eagles to a perfect 34–0 record and the program's eighth national title.

Recruiting

Flagg was ranked the third-best prospect in the 2025 recruiting class following the conclusion of his freshman season. He re-ranked as the class's second-best recruit in August 2022 following his performance in the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup. Flagg received his first NCAA Division I scholarship offer from Bryant while in the eighth grade.

Flagg reclassified to the class of 2024 during the summer after his sophomore year. On October 30, 2023, Flagg verbally committed to play for Duke after also considering an offer from UConn. He had initially planned to announce his commitment on October 27, but pushed it back in the aftermath of the 2023 Lewiston shootings in his home state of Maine. Flagg signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Blue Devils on November 8, 2023, during the early signing period. Flagg finished as the highest rated recruit in the 2024 class.

College career

Flagg enrolled at Duke University in June 2024 in order to take part in the Blue Devils' summer practices. He made his college basketball debut during Duke's season opener against Maine on November 4, 2024, and scored 18 points with seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals in a 96–62 win. On November 18, Flagg earned Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) rookie of the week honors. On December 31, he scored 24 points, six assists, and four steals in a 88–65 win over Virginia Tech. On January 4, 2025, Flagg had a double-double of 24 points and 11 rebounds in a 89–62 win against SMU.

Flagg delivered a record-breaking performance in Duke's victory against Notre Dame on January 11, 2025. He scored 42 points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out seven assists, shooting 11-of-14 from the field, 4-of-6 from three-point range, and 16-of-17 from the free-throw line. This set new freshman scoring records for both Duke University and the ACC. On January 18, Flagg scored 28 points and five rebounds in a 88–63 win over Boston College. On January 25, 2025, Flagg scored 24 points, seven rebounds and six assists in a 63–56 win over Wake Forest. On January 27, Flagg scored 28 points and seven rebounds in a 74–64 victory against NC State. On February 1, Flagg tallied 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in a 87–70 win against arch-rival North Carolina. On February 12, Flagg scored 27 points and five rebounds in a 78–57 win against California. On February 17, Flagg had a double-double of 17 points and 14 rebounds in a 80–62 win over Virginia. He became the first ACC player with 500+ points, 100+ assists and 30 blocks in the regular season in the last 25 years. On March 3, Flagg scored 28 and tallied eight rebounds and seven assists in a 93–60 victory against Wake Forest.

Flagg led the Blue Devils to the ACC regular season title, as Duke finished 19–1 in conference play. On March 13, 2025, Duke would go on to defeat Georgia Tech 78–70 in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament despite Flagg leaving the game due to a sprained ankle injury, which forced him to miss the rest of the tournament. On March 15, Duke defeated Louisville 73–62 in the ACC tournament championship game. Flagg and Duke entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed in the East region and defeated both Mount St. Mary's and Baylor in the first and second rounds of the tournament. On March 27, Flagg scored 30 points, six rebounds and seven assists in a 100–93 win over Arizona in the Sweet 16. On March 29, Flagg added 16 points and nine rebounds in a 85–65 victory against Alabama in the Elite Eight. On April 5, Flagg scored 27 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in a 70–67 loss against Houston in the Final Four. Following his freshman season, Flagg declared for the 2025 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.

He was named the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Rookie of the Year, joining Zion Williamson, Marvin Bagley III, and Jahlil Okafor as the only players in conference history to win both awards in the same season.

National team career

Flagg played for the United States under-17 basketball team at the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup. He was named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 9.3 points, 10 rebounds, 2.9 blocked shots, and 2.4 steals per game as the United States won the gold medal. Flagg scored 10 points with 17 rebounds, eight steals, and four blocked shots in a 79–67 win over Spain in the final. He was named the 2022 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year for his performance in the Under-17 World Cup and is the youngest player to win the award.

Flagg was named to the USA Select Team to practice with the United States men's national team in preparation for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Career statistics

College

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Personal life

Flagg's mother Kelly played college basketball at Maine, where she was a team captain as a senior. His father, Ralph, played NJCAA basketball at Eastern Maine Community College. Flagg has a fraternal twin brother, Ace, who was a teammate at Nokomis, transferred to Montverde, and has since verbally committed to play at Maine starting in 2025–26. Flagg's older brother Hunter was also a Nokomis basketball player and was a senior when the former was a freshman. His family relocated from Newport to Florida after he and his twin brother transferred to Montverde Academy.

Flagg signed a shoe deal with New Balance prior to the start of his freshman year at Duke. Flagg's decision to choose New Balance was influenced by the company's ties to his home state of Maine, with two of their factories being located near his hometown of Newport. He also became the first men's college basketball player to be sponsored by Gatorade.

See also

*List of All-Atlantic Coast Conference men's basketball teams

References

External links

Duke Blue Devils bioMontverde Academy Eagles bioUSA Basketball bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flagg, Cooper
2006 births
Living people
21st-century American sportsmen
All-American college men's basketball players
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Maine
Duke Blue Devils men's basketball players
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Montverde Academy alumni
People from Newport, Maine
Small forwards
Sportspeople from Penobscot County, Maine