The Cooper Flagg era has officially begun with Duke basketball. The 2025 NBA Draft's top prospect started things right against Maine basketball with an emphatic dunk that had Cameron Indoor Stadium rocking.
Fans took to social media to revel in Flagg's monster throwdown.
The clever, tongue-in-cheek nicknames are already flowing, as one fan calls Flagg, “Snow-be- Bryant.”
Another fan already predicts where he'll end up in next year's draft by saying, “future wizard.”
The consensus analysis is pretty straightforward from one fan, “This kids gonna be so good.”
With 4:09 left in the second half, Flagg has 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Projecting the Cooper Flagg's future with Duke basketball
Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer has already spoken very highly of the 17-year old phenom, per NCAA insider Andy Katz.
“He's a natural, and he has great instincts,” Scheyer said. “Obviously with how hard he plays, and then you add in his feel, he's going to make some special plays today, he had four blocks. Think he can even add in some steals preferably next time going for it. but i thought it was good for him, just I thought he was himself. I thought he even for Coop just he can rebound more, you know, just the decision. There's so much there for him. And I thought it was great for him to get a feel today though.”
Duke basketball is actually loaded this year. Duke sophomore guard Caleb Foster said he has big expectations for all new faces on the team, per Hoops Hype.
“I mean, really all of them. They all bring different aspects of the game –Isaiah Evans, Darren Harris, Cooper Flagg, and the others,” Foster said. “They pick up concepts really fast, are able to adapt, and can play in different positions, which makes them unbelievable.”
One analyst, CBS Sports' Matt Norlander, views Flagg as the biggest freshman prospect since Kentucky's Anthony Davis, now with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“Cooper Flagg is the headlining freshman. He enters in my estimation, the last time we had a freshman with this much hype and anticipation and proven bonafides as a high school player, was probably Anthony Davis. And some people might say, ‘what about Zion Williamson?' Zion Williamson was ranked behind RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish on his own team and in his own freshman class. It was only after Duke's season had begun that Zion mania really took hold. Cooper Flagg mania has already been a big thing.”
The No. 7 ranked Duke Blue Devils are among the betting favorites to win this year's men's college basketball national championship.
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