Cooper Flagg and his Duke teammates have been days away from clinching a spot within the Ultimate 4, and the Blue Devils’ freshman star was planning forward.
It wasn’t about something on the court docket, although. It was to be prepared the subsequent time teammates Khaman Maluach and Patrick Ngongba broke out water weapons on the chilly tubs.
“I’m positively ordering one as properly,” Flagg mentioned with a smile, a nod to the truth that he’s nonetheless “simply being a child.”
Possibly so, however the 18-year-old’s recreation has been way more superior than his age from the opening tip of his school debut. Scoring. Rebounding. Organising teammates as a playmaker, then aiding them as a defender. He did all of it amid excessive expectations because the potential No 1 total NBA draft prospect, the driving drive with a relentless aggressive edge and mature focus for a workforce now two wins from a nationwide championship.
It’s why Flagg was named The Related Press males’s school basketball nationwide participant of the 12 months on Friday, changing into solely the fourth freshman to win the award in its 64-year historical past.
The 6ft 9in, 205-pound ahead from Newport, Maine, received a two-man race with Auburn star Johni Broome. Each gamers have been unanimous first-team AP All-People with groups on the Ultimate 4, and so they have been the one two to obtain player-of-the-year votes, Flagg successful 41 of the 61.
Flagg joins Duke’s Zion Williamson (2019), Kentucky’s Anthony Davis (2012) and Texas star Kevin Durant (2007) as freshman winners. Every went both No 1 or No 2 total within the NBA Draft just a few months later. Flagg is the eighth Duke participant to win the award, most of any program.
“He performs so onerous, he’s aggressive, an incredible teammate,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer mentioned after the Blue Devils’ dwelling finale, “and clearly his means is particular.”
Flagg was simply 17 when he arrived at Duke after reclassifying to graduate early from highschool. But he has exceeded all hype because the nation’s top-ranked recruit, with Flagg main Duke in scoring (18.9 factors per recreation), rebounding (7.5), assists (4.2) and steals (1.4) whereas rating second in blocks (1.3) coming into Saturday’s nationwide semi-final in opposition to Houston.
“I maintain myself to a excessive commonplace, excessive expectations,” Flagg informed the AP. “Simply because I understand how a lot work I’ve put in and what number of hours I’ve spent grinding and placing that work in … It’s these expectations of simply trusting what you do and simply doing it to the very best degree.”
And he repeatedly did that.
He scored an Atlantic Coast Convention freshman-record 42 factors in opposition to Notre Dame. There was his highlight-reel transition dunk in opposition to Pittsburgh. The massive recreation to assist the Blue Devils beat Broome’s Tigers, together with going for 30 factors in an NCAA Candy 16 win in opposition to Arizona that Scheyer referred to as “probably the greatest event performances I’ve ever coached or been part of.”
Cohesive play is the hallmark of this Blue Devils workforce, the one one ranked in KenPom’s prime 5 for each adjusted offensive and defensive effectivity.
It has supplied methods for Flagg to enhance in his first and presumably lone school season as he discovered “the extent of the main points” required to thrive. It was making certain he acquired in for pre-practice restoration periods. Or listening when graduate switch Mason Gillis and junior Tyrese Proctor pushed the significance of sleep, prompting Flagg to nix a high-school behavior of late-night cellphone scrolling.
“So far as exterior expectations, I couldn’t actually care much less,” Flagg mentioned. “For me, it’s extra about following the expectations of my teammates, my coaches, my household. All people’s human so I’m going to make errors. I’m not going to be at my finest on a regular basis.
“However that’s what having nice teammates and nice coaches does for you. They only all the time have my again and are all the time there for me.”
His mom, Kelly, virtually envies how her son handles that.
“I believe he sees it however he actually doesn’t let it trouble him,” she informed the AP. “And I want I used to be extra like that. He’s so snug with who he’s, and he’s all the time been that method. That’s why he doesn’t get rattled simply, as a result of he believes in himself and it doesn’t actually matter to him what different folks suppose.
“That’s a particular means to have the ability to drown out the noise when the noise might be overwhelming at instances for anyone like him. I’m actually happy with him for with the ability to do this.”
She and husband Ralph have stored a detailed eye on how he’s been doing after shifting to North Carolina for this 12 months whereas Ace, Cooper’s twin brother, completes his last season of highschool basketball in Greensboro, an hour away. Flagg mentioned it helped to have household shut, together with when he visited for just a few days round Christmas and acquired a number of days within the health club along with his father and brothers.
“When you’ll be able to step again and simply take a break, it may be actually good to simply get your thoughts clear and sort of refocus,” he mentioned.
It confirmed up on the court docket, notably as he elevated his scoring (20.1 factors, up from 16.9), assists (4.5, up from 3.7), capturing share (51%, up from 43.8%) and 3-point share (.434, up from 27.1) after 1 January.
Certainly, Flagg appears wired for large moments when the stakes rise, one thing his mom has seen going again to his childhood. There was his hatred of dropping from early on, corresponding to demanding to maintain taking part in after dropping in a driveway recreation of H-O-R-S-E with Kelly – who performed in school at Maine – or a board recreation like Bother.
He all the time needed to be first to do something even when it appeared a bit a lot, such because the household working with eldest brother Hunter to experience a motorbike with out coaching wheels – solely to have the then-three-year-old Cooper announce “I can do it, Momma” and again it up.
When it got here to basketball, he examined his mother and father’ nerves by continually dribbling on the hardwood flooring at dwelling. However success got here shortly, too, with whispers quickly spreading round Maine in regards to the prodigy taking part in up a number of grade ranges.
“When he was youthful, if anyone stole the ball from him or he turned it over or acquired fouled or did one thing (improper), we’d say it was a 50/50 shot whether or not he was going to choose up a loopy foul or he was going to do one thing spectacular,” Kelly mentioned. “And as he’s gotten older, it was extra the probabilities of one thing actually good was about to occur.”
Flagg famous a number of instances how a lot he has loved Duke. He has talked about making connections and becoming in with different college students he referred to as “elite in their very own respects.”
That’s supplied a respite from the highlight, at the same time as he’s featured in advertisements and commercials as a leading-man star for faculty basketball with gamers permitted to revenue from their athletic fame. He’s now used to requests for autographs and selfies, shrugging that “there may very well be worse issues to have.”
Flagg has prevented saying he’s making the anticipated bounce to the NBA after the season. For now, there are extra urgent issues to cope with, from the Ultimate 4 to ordering that water gun.
“I’ve to,” Flagg mentioned. “What am I going to do? I’m going to be unarmed?”
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