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It's hard to stand out at Peach Jam, especially if you're not one of the best rising high school seniors in the country. But when Duke men's basketball coach Jon Scheyer saw 15-year-old Cooper Flagg two summers ago, he was hooked.
Scheyer told ESPN's Baxter Holmes about going down to North Augusta for the annual showcase of Nike's top grassroots programs in 2023 and the impression Flagg made.
“I remember the court, I remember where I was sitting,” Scheyer said. “And here's this kid, blocking everything. Some of the plays he was making at 15, it just jumped off the page at you. His instincts. His athletic ability. His skill.”
There was never a doubt that Flagg would be one of the most sought-after recruits in years, meaning of course a blueblood like Duke would be involved. Brian Scalabrine, the former NBA player who has known Flagg since he was 13, reached out to Scheyer beforehand.
“He's as good as any high school player that I've ever seen,” Scalabrine said. “I know it sounds crazy, but you've got to recruit this guy. He'd be a perfect fit for Duke.”
After watching him at Peach Jam, Scheyer was convinced.
“He's different from anybody I've ever recruited,” Scheyer said.
Cooper Flagg brings a team-first attitude to Duke basketball
Beyond his electric play, one moment stuck out to Scheyer from Peach Jam. It came in a game where Flagg was struggling with his shot. When an opposing coach made a comment about it, Flagg turned to him.
“I don't need to score,” he said. “All I need to do is win.”
That attitude has carried over to Durham. After the Blue Devils' season-opening win over Maine, Flagg spoke about the ways he can impact the game without scoring.
“Outside of the shots, only about six percent of the game is making or missing shots,” he said. “So just priding ourselves around the 94 percent that doesn't revolve around shots – rebounding, playing good defense, playing with energy, those types of thing that we can control. That's been huge for us and a big focus for us, just trying to impact the game in any way possible.”
Flagg has done his part over the first two games to fill the stat sheet beyond the scoring column. Yes, he's averaging 15.5 points, but also 9.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He alos had three blocks in Duke's second game of the season, a blowout win over Army.
