The Blue Devil rookie had fun with the Cameron Crazies while leaving his home floor for the final time
Senior Night for the Duke basketball program can sometimes be referred to as ‘Freshman Night’ with the likelihood that the rookies on the team would leave for the NBA Draft after just one season and that was true on Monday as the No. 2 Blue Devils hosted Wake Forest.
Yes, the seniors were honored during another shellacking of an ACC team by Duke but its loudest cheers were for Cooper Flagg as he left the floor at Cameron Indoor Stadium for the final time.
Flagg mentioned weeks ago that he would love to stay as the Blue Devils for another year in a perfect world, but it won’t happen as the superstar is the heavy favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft in June.
He leaned into the fun when checking out of the game in the final minutes of the 93-60 victory with the Cameron Crazies chanting “one more year!” as he greeted his teammates on the bench.
Flagg responded “run it back” multiple times as his father, Ralph, also made the same gesture.
It’s not uncommon for a star freshman at Duke to claim that wish they were able to return before being a top selection in the NBA Draft as Zion Williamson and Kyrie Irving expressed the same sentiments before being the first selection.
However, the decisions of players whether to remain in college or head to the NBA becomes much more interesting due to Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) money they can receive.
Illinois head coach Brad Underwood urged Cooper Flagg to remain in college last week when the Blue Devils throttled the Illini at Madison Square Garden but the idea that Flagg would delay his second NBA contract, which is usually the most lucrative in a player’s career, by returning to Duke seems very far-fetched.
Flagg certainly ended his Cameron Indoor Stadium career with one of his best performances, finishing with 28 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and three blocks.
He will look to cap off an incredible regular season on Saturday night (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) as Duke (26-3, 17-1 ACC) battles North Carolina (19-11, 12-6 ACC) before entering the ACC Tournament next week.