I’m not sure there are adequate words to describe how well Coach Jon Scheyer has done on the recruiting trail after taking over for the legendary Coach K. As the lead guy in Durham Scheyer has been laser focused and once he zeros in on a player – chances are he’s coming to Duke. The current count as a head coach has Jon Scheyer reeling in ten 5-star players and four 4-star players. These types of numbers are unheard of for a head coach who is going into only his second year as a head coach with no other head coaching experience.
This time Scheyer and company have reeled in arguably the best player in high school basketball in 5 star phenom Cooper Flagg out of Montverde Academy – by way of Maine. The announcement was made via a new SLAM Magazine cover featuring Flagg in Blue Devil attire.
Flagg committed to the Blue Devils fresh off of his official visit during Duke’s Countdown to Craziness. Flagg chose the Blue Devils over the University of Connecticut after eliminating Kansas a few weeks ago.
Flagg began his high school career at Nokomis Regional High School in Newport Maine and after a stellar year freshman year, a year in which he won the Maine Gatorade player of the year award, he transferred to Montverde in Florida – a hub of talent and a consistent contender for best team in the country. As a sophomore Flagg was instrumental in the Eagles’ run to a 23-3 record. He was the third leading scorer at 9.8 PPG, while also averaging 5.2 RPG, 3 APG, 1.6 SPG, and 2.2 BPG. Flagg shot 55% from the field, 38% from three-point range and 87% from the free throw line.
Unlike a lot of players labeled as elite, generational or unicorn, Cooper is a 2-way player, taking pride in both offense and defense truly on both sides of the ball. He’s an excellent shooter with great touch on his jumpers and floaters and has a knack for putting the ball in the basket when his teams needs it the most. He’s become dangerous in hitting jumpers off of the pick-&-roll and has no issues getting his shot whenever he wants it. An excellent ball-handler, especially for a guy who projects to be a small forward, it’s a part of his game that has arguably made the most obvious improvement along with his playmaking. Flagg is an excellent playmaker and shot-creator off the bounce who makes instinctive reads on both ends of the floor.
His passing game, which does not get a lot of credit is also outstanding – he makes the right play. He also rebounds the ball well and uses his size and length and gets off the ground in a hurry – he can both lead and finish on the break. He’s a guy that you can plug into any position and he can and will take the game over.
The part of his game that excites me the most personally is his ability to change the game defensively as a shot blocker – Flagg hunts the ball and doesn’t put himself in peril for fouls in order to collect blocked shots. He possesses the strength and speed to guard all 5 positions and covers space quickly on defense. Flagg possesses an excellent second jump and can anchor a defense effectively from a variety of positions. His ability to block, rebound and go will fit perfectly with the way Jon Scheyer wants his team to play – fast.
One NBA scout noted that Flagg, “is just different. He has the mental makeup. Silent killer, assassin. He’s consistent with his mindset, motor and production. If he doesn’t develop an ounce of his offensive package from this day forward, he’s still potentially in the running for a defensive player of the year at the NBA level.”
Getting a player like Flagg to trust and commit to a head coach after only seeing him coach 1 full season is a coup – regardless of whether he grew up a fan of Duke or not. Scheyer has put in the work and made believers out of nay-sayers – especially on the recruiting trail with the biggest knock on him being his lack of experience. Flagg saw beyond that and pledged to the Blue Devils anyway.
Cooper is the son of Ralph and Kelly Flagg and has an older brother, Hunter, and a twin brother, Ace (who also plays at powerhouse Montverde Academy). Coopers mom Kelly played basketball at University of Maine (1995-99) and was a three-time America East champion, made four NCAA Tournament appearances and was team captain as a senior.
Flagg joins a stellar class that includes a lot of offensive weaponry. Small forward / shooting guard Darren Harris was first to commit, doing so on October 22nd of 2022. Harris is a deadly shooter who showed a lot more of his game this summer leading his AAU squad to a Peach Jam championship. Scoring small forward Isaiah Evans committed on the 27th of April, the 6’6 forward dubbed Baby Ingram after former Duke forward Brandon Ingram is a 3-level scorer who can play a couple of different positions for the Blue Devils on the perimeter. The most recent commit that seemed to come out of thin air for Jon Scheyer and company was small forward Kon Knueppel. Knueppel, fresh off of a visit committed to the Blue Devils on September 21st. Knueppel brings a toughness and a maturity, but also a scoring touch from all 3 levels.
The addition of Flagg vaults the Blue Devils class into the number 1 ranking with a bullet. Duke is still on the hunt with offers out to Big man Patrick Ngongba who is set to choose between Duke, Kansas State ands Kentucky with KSU being thought of as a slight favorite to land the big from the same AAU & high school squad as Darren Harris, and guards Dylan Harper and VJ Edgecombe.
