Road to Rising Star: Cooper Flagg
None have busted through quite like Cooper Flagg, an obvious talent in a game obviously rare. This recent graduate in high essence from the town of Newport in Maine has big aspirations to go along with his love of the game. It’s a winding path of meteoric ambition, dazzling potential, and relentless pursuit, from a hoops family upbringing to comedy dunks on every high school court and a can’t-stop-for-Duke-blue-chip-performer experience at the University. Individually — and as a team — Flagg is, ahem, settlin’ for nothin’ less than the top of the basketball mountain on course to go 1,000 times 1,000, accomplishing the impossible and rewriting the record book as he goes.
Background and Beginnings of Basketball
Cooper Flagg, whose family is steeped in basketball tradition, hails from Newport, Maine. His family home was an athletically-charged environment, one of competition, with both of his parents accomplished players. Cooper, who is a basketball player so after competing with his twin brother Ace — who also wants to play professionally, we’re sure he grew up in a very competitive household and is ready for the NBA challenge.
Despite playing for Nokomis Regional High School, where the competition level was iffy at best, Cooper was soon being noticed as an elite player. He was named Gatorade Player of the Year in Maine as a freshman, the first-time honor has been awarded to a freshman. Flagg crushed it as a freshman, finishing the season with averages of 20.5 points and 10.0 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 3.7 steals and 3.7 blocks per game. Comments similar to these not only put a spotlight on his scoring, but his overall game and contribution to winning.
He transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida in 2022 in search of a higher level of competition and training. This was one of the first big moments in Cooper Flagg’s career exposing him to a level of the game that was a big help for his developmental jump. Pushed by the experience of being with the elite players and coaching staff, Cooper elevated his game through extra work on both his offense and defense.
Some High School Career Highlights for Cooper Flagg
It was an incredibly enriching year for him at Montverde Academy. Cooper Flagg has been hovering at/near the top of his class on blue-chip watch lists since he was a freshman, a five-star prospect since day one. He garnered more awards in his senior season, including Gatorade National Player of the Year and Naismith Player of the Year to complement the earlier recognitions. During that time he was undefeated 33-0 and brought the national championship title back to Montverte. He broke out late in the second game — I mean, he was hot for a lot of the second half, really — and even the stats show it with averages over the two games of 16.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.8 apg and 2.7 bpg, demonstrating his ability to impact games in all facets. During his time at Montverde Academy, Flagg’s performance captured the attention of basketball fans and analysts worldwide. For more updates on basketball and other sports stories, visit The Eastern Herald’s sports section.
That had traveled well beyond the halls of high school. Internationally, he was great in his USA basketball career too. Flagg also won a gold medal at the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup with the USA and he was named to the All-Tournament Team. His talent and ambition started getting attention around basketball fans, and speculations whether he will one day return to the game started spreading.
Conversion from Duke College Basketball
Duke University announced, according to Duke Chronicle, in June 2024 that Cooper Flagg had signed up to attend their school. He was ready to elevate his game on the college basketball landscape. He’s chomping at the bit to get to college and in November 2024 he opened up his collegiate career in a splash scoring 18 points playing against Maine.
Flagg was one of those players who could affect a game immediately. Cam was a mainstay for the Duke Blue Devils right away, becoming known as much for his scoring and rebounding as he was for his defense. This season was rather anomalous for Flagg, recording double-doubles galore and even leading the team in points and rebounds at a time. Standing 6-foot-9, he posed a massive threat for opponents on both sides of the floor, and it led many to wonder, how tall is Cooper Flagg?
But Flagg was also observed for more than what he did on the court. Not only did he show the incredible level of talent he would become, but he also had multiple sponsorships from bigger brands like New Balance and Gatorade, being the type of marketable talent the NCAA basketball ranks had ever seen, due to the attention coming along with his rise as a player.
Hopes and Expectations
Since Cooper Flagg has thrived as a Blue Devil, comparisons of him to some of the program’s all-time legends have been unavoidable. These days, Flagg is — expectedly — more and more frequently in the company of all-time great Duke players, as a sports fan or an analyst that means takes him as one of the best players of this generation. So the Flagg hype intensifies the significance of his career, especially when it comes to Flagg’s path to the NBA. And as the world continues to discuss Flagg, a racial conversation around basketball culture is relevant. Given how Cooper Flagg is still just 17 years old, comments about the talented white athlete on Duke’s standout team can only hint at the odd position the rising star occupies in a sport almost entirely played by African Americans.
With his exposure and performance on the rise, many fans and experts believe that Flagg will be a highly coveted draft pick for the NBA in the coming years. In doing so, Flagg would become the first white American to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft since Kent Benson in the 1977 NBA draft. Thus he exists at the center of a very beautiful cultural story, as one of the great talents of a moment in culture which makes it honor him.
Suffice it to say, if trends continue as one would assume they will, Flagg is poised to become one of the names in college basketball. As Williamson heads into his freshman year of college, his high school records, play at Duke, and plans for the future have paved the way. It would be interesting to see where such a talent lands, as a basketball fan.
