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It was another productive night for Duke basketball star Cooper Flag in the win over the Auburn Tigers on Wednesday night, 84-78, as it garnered a response from head coach Jon Scheyer. While Flagg would compliment Duke basketball guard Isaiah Evans, he also spoke about his performance that anchored the ninth-ranked team in the country over the second.
In the win, Flagg led the team with 22 points as he shot seven of 18 from the field, including missing all four of his attempts from beyond the arc. He also collected 11 rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and two steals as Scheyer would say, his stat-stuffing outing was “night and day,” per 247 Sports.
“It was night and day,” Scheyer said. “Being able to coach him – he never fights you. In a game, you can get on him. In practice, he's always wanting to get better in every aspect of his game. I like the strength that he's playing with. I've always felt like Cooper's a one-time guy. He only needs to see something one time to get adjusted. I saw that with him with [Team] USA and I saw that in high school when he had tough moments.”
“In this short of a time frame, to see his growth in big time moments, creating shots against high-level defenders, I thought that was big,” Scheyer continued. “I think he had 10 rebounds in the first half. His rebounding was incredible. And he had four assists. We always track potential assists, and I think tonight was another night he had 10-plus potential assists. I can't say enough about his attitude and his competitiveness in those moments.”
Scheyer would emphasize during his opening statement that he is still amazed how a 17-year-old like Flagg can have the talent he obtains.
Duke basketball's Cooper Flagg on recording zero turnovers
As NBA teams monitor the Duke basketball star for the upcoming draft, he still looks to clean up some areas, with one being the amount of turnovers he commits. The Maine native had recorded at least two turnovers in every game up until this point but would have zero Wednesday night, an aspect of the game that Flagg is proud of, as said after the game to the media.
“That's a great satisfaction to have no turnovers in a huge game,” Flagg said. “Ever since both of those games [versus Kentucky and Kansas], it's just been a pain in the back of my head, burning me every time I think about it. I wish I could get those possessions back. To have no turnovers tonight is huge for me. After those other two games, having some really key turnovers down the stretch, that was something that I kind of really prided myself on and want to work on and keep getting better. I still think I was too close tonight with a bunch of different times I could've had turnovers. I just have to keep getting better, keep being confident and strong with the ball down the stretch.”
So far this season, Flagg has been averaging 16.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 23.3 percent from three-point range. Still, the Blue Devils are 6-2 on the season so far as their next game will be against the Louisville Cardinals on Sunday, Dec. 8.
