The mania round Cooper Flagg at Duke is right here. And it’s no longer going any place anytime quickly.
Flagg, the Elegance of 2024’s most-hyped retain and projected 2025 Incorrect. 1 NBA Draft pick out, spoke publicly Friday for the primary day since creation his profession with the Blue Devils.
Wearing a “Dream Biggest” Duke T-shirt, the 6-foot-9 freshman ahead sounded assured and interested by Duke formally starting follow this pace. It’s been a whirlwind begin to faculty for this system’s greatest retain since Zion Williamson — whom even former President Barack Obama got here to Durham to peer play games — however Flagg is dealing with it as highest he can.
goooooo @Cooper_Flagg pic.twitter.com/Ie6lLNpJZK
— Duke Males’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) September 27, 2024
“I think as far as hype and all that goes, that’s something that you learn to deal with. And for me, it’s just about playing basketball, so I’m excited to get going with our team,” Flagg advised newshounds in Durham.
“We have an incredible group of guys. I’ve gotten to know everybody on the team really well. So I’m just really excited to get going. As far as the hype for me, I just focus on playing basketball and trying to win every day.”
Flagg, who’s from Newport, Maine, and already has a shoe trade in with Fresh Stability, used to be in the beginning a member of the 2025 recruiting elegance, however reclassified to 2024 in August of endmost age. His folks are Blue Devils enthusiasts who steadily had the basketball workforce at the society’s tv at house presen Flagg grew up together with his two brothers.
Flagg dedicated to Duke in October. With him at the ground, the Blue Devils must be a contender in opposition to any individual.
GO DEEPER
Cooper Flagg and the mini Fresh England the city that raised basketball’s brightest younger big name
“I’ve seen a lot of different seasons, different hype, different expectations. With Cooper, I don’t know if we’ve ever had a 17-year-old with as much attention around him — and a lot of it rightfully so with the high school career he’s had and what he’s done,” Duke educator Jon Scheyer advised newshounds.
“But we talk about all the things we can control. And that’s been our focus,” Scheyer stated. “Cooper does an amazing job of coming to practice to work every day. I don’t think he likes the attention, to be honest. I think he’s all about, he wants to be just like the other guys in terms of not caring about the attention, wanting to win, wanting to compete.”
Flagg will play games in entrance ofBlue Devils enthusiasts nearest pace for the primary day on the program’s “Countdown to Craziness” match on Oct. 4, forward of Duke opening its season on Oct. 19 with an exhibition in opposition to Lincoln (Pa.) College. Within the interim, Flagg will proceed to govern in Durham.
Coop brings the @Cooper_Flagg pic.twitter.com/JDOx0BrLSd
— Duke Males’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) September 27, 2024
“He’s 17. So, beginning of the season, he’s going to go through some stuff. That’s part of it,” Scheyer stated.
“But being there for him in those moments and growing as a player is why he came to Duke. So I want this to be — I want him to enjoy this year. I want him to enjoy the practices, enjoy being a student at Duke, enjoy with his teammates and obviously work like crazy to become a better player. And that’s what we’re doing on a daily basis.”
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(Photograph: Serve Halverson / Getty Pictures)
