COPYRIGHT 2025 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

As Team USA prepared for the Olympics last summer, they gathered in Las Vegas for practices and training. While future Hall of Famers LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and others received plenty of attention as usual, it was 17-year-old Cooper Flagg who had a breakthrough performance. During a scrimmage, Flagg held his own against the world’s best players, showing the skills and smarts that made him the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

Since then, Flagg has only helped his draft stock with a dominant freshman season at Duke. The Blue Devils (19-2) are No. 2 in the Associated Press poll and 11-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have won 15 consecutive games, the longest streak in Division 1, and are coming off an 87-70 victory on the road over rival North Carolina.

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With Freshman Phenom Cooper Flagg, Duke Is An NCAA Tournament Favorite

ByTim Casey, Senior Contributor.

Tim Casey is a reporter who covers basketball and sports business.

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Feb 04, 2025, 06:00am EST

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Duke’s Cooper Flagg (2) high-fives head coach Jon [+]

COPYRIGHT 2025 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

As Team USA prepared for the Olympics last summer, they gathered in Las Vegas for practices and training. While future Hall of Famers LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and others received plenty of attention as usual, it was 17-year-old Cooper Flagg who had a breakthrough performance. During a scrimmage, Flagg held his own against the world’s best players, showing the skills and smarts that made him the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

Since then, Flagg has only helped his draft stock with a dominant freshman season at Duke. The Blue Devils (19-2) are No. 2 in the Associated Press poll and 11-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have won 15 consecutive games, the longest streak in Division 1, and are coming off an 87-70 victory on the road over rival North Carolina.

Flagg, a 6-foot-9 forward who turned 18 in December, is having one of the best seasons in recent years regardless of age. He is first in analyst Ken Pomeroy’s Player of the Year standings. His 2.737 rating is the second-highest since KenPom began publishing the data in the 2010-11 season, only trailing Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky, who had a 2.794 rating in the 2014-15 season.

Flagg leads Duke with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. As CBS Sports noted last month, former LSU star Ben Simmons is the only freshman to lead a team in all five of those categories since the NCAA began tracking those statistics in the 1985-86 season.

ESPN’s Jeremy Woo spoke with a horde of NBA scouts and executives to get their thoughts  on Flagg’s game. While he drew comps to NBA greats ranging from Grant Hill to Jayson Tatum, executives cautioned that Flagg’s scoring is not yet where it could be.

“It looks like [Duke head coach Jon] Scheyer has been intentionally putting him in situations where it’s, ‘OK, go, get a basket,’” one Western Conference executive said. “It doesn’t look like the primary creation is there for him quite yet. There’s a hope that he can be a go-to guy on offense. It seems like he’s got the vision and passing, but the individual scoring stuff has to get better.”

Fans saw this first-hand during the annual Champions Classic. With Duke and Kentucky locked in a tie game with 12 seconds left, Flagg committed two turnovers over seven seconds of game time as the Wildcats escaped with a

Duke University is reportedly expressing interest in a promising basketball prospect: the son of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer. Carlos Boozer, who played for the Blue Devils from 1999 to 2002 and was part of their 2001 national championship team, has a son, Cameron Boozer, who is making waves in high school basketball.

Cameron Boozer, a 6-foot-9 power forward, currently attends Christopher Columbus High School in Westchester, Florida. In his sophomore year, he averaged 21.1 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and two blocks per game, leading his team to a state championship. His exceptional performance earned him the Gatorade National Player of the Year award in 2023, as well as the Florida Mr. Basketball and Mr. Basketball USA honors. In 2024, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the FIBA Under-17 World Cup, further solidifying his status as a top prospect. citeturn0search25

Cameron’s twin brother, Cayden Boozer, is a 6-foot-4 point guard who also plays at Christopher Columbus High School. Cayden has been equally impressive, earning a spot in the 2025 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game and being selected as a consensus five-star recruit. citeturn0search21

Both brothers have committed to play college basketball at Duke, following in their father’s footsteps. Their commitment to the Blue Devils was announced in October 2024, marking a significant moment in the program’s recruiting history. citeturn0search6

Duke’s interest in the Boozer twins underscores the university’s ongoing efforts to recruit top-tier talent, particularly those with strong basketball pedigrees. The legacy of Carlos Boozer, combined with the exceptional skills of his sons, positions the Boozer family as a significant addition to the Blue Devils’ future roster.

As the Boozer twins prepare to join Duke’s basketball program, their high school careers continue to garner attention, with both brothers expected to make an immediate impact on the collegiate level. Their commitment to Duke not only honors their father’s legacy but also sets the stage for a new chapter in Blue Devils basketball.

Brown suffered the injury in the first half of Monday night’s game vs. Virginia.

Duke forward Maliq Brown suffered an injury during the first half of Monday night’s 80–62 win over Virginia. It was later determined that Brown dislocated his left shoulder and will be out indefinitely.

This is a “big loss” for the Blue Devils, as coach Jon Scheyer said after the game, since Brown has become a major player off the bench for Duke since transferring from Syracuse this season.Scheyer

Brown did not re-enter Monday’s game after suffering the injury Scheyer did note that Brown will have imaging done on Monday night in order to determine a potential timeline for the forward to return.

As of now, it’s likely Brown will miss Duke’s matchup vs. Illinois at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. And, of course, the’ worst case scenario would be for Brown to not be able to return this season at all and miss the NCAA tournament in March.

In 20 games this season, Brown is averaging 2.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.

$1.99 WELCOME OFFER CLAIM SPORTS Duke HC Jon Scheyer Calls Out Clemson Security After Court Storming Incident By Benedetto Vitale Athlon Sports Updated February 11, 2025 6:47 PM The Duke Blue Devils lost their last game on Saturday, Feb. 8 against the Clemson Tigers 77-71. Once the clock hit zero, Tigers fans in attendance stormed the court to celebrate the victory over the Blue Devils.

Head coach Jon Scheyer was spotted stepping in front of his players and the fans as soon as the courtstorming commenced.

The Duke head coach was even spotted getting physical with one apparent student on the court and was held back by one of his players. On Monday, Scheyer openly spoke about protecting his players from Tigers fans rushing onto the court.

The 37-year-old head coach called out the Clemson security team for allowing copious amounts of fans to run onto the floor, according to Chapel Fowler of The State Newspaper and The State News Guild.

We gotta get our players off the court for safety. That wasn’t a safe environment. No question about it. I was put in a position where I was shielding our guys from people running up and getting in their face.”

It was a chaotic moment for players and fans alike as Scheyer immediately put himself in front of his players. Court-storming has become a controversial topic in sports lately due to how dangerous it can be for all involved.

In February 2024, a similar situation occurred when Wake Forest fans stormed the court and ran into former Blue Devils star Kyle Filipowski. He injured his leg in the incident but suited up for the next game.

Duke will be back in action on Wednesday when they take on the California Golden Bears in a home game. With eight games remaining on the schedule, the Blue Devils aim to get back in the win column as they prepare for the ACC Championship and upcoming March Madness Tournament.

Cooper Flagg and the Duke Blue Devils have dominated all season, currently standing at No. 1 in the ACC standings. Duke sits at 21-3 on the season with an undefeated record at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Blue Devils are fresh off a 78-57 victory over the California Golden Bears. They were previously riding a 16-game win streak, but fell to the Clemson Tigers 77-71.

Amid a successful freshman season at Duke, Flagg sat down for an interview with The Athletic.

Despite many projecting the freshman star to declare for the upcoming NBA Draft, given his immediate impact at the collegiate level, Flagg made an interesting statement on his future with the Blue Devils.

“I want to come back next year,” Flagg said.

Flagg is currently averaging 19.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. He’s also averaged 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks, leading the Duke Blue Devils in all five statistical categories.

In the Blue Devils’ recent victory over the Golden Bears, Flagg posted 27 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

According to Bleacher Report, Flagg is projected to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, with the Washington Wizards currently holding the best odds of landing the Duke star.

While Flagg made it clear that he’d like to stick around for another year at Duke, his draft grade may be too good to pass up.

Despite all the hype that has surrounded him as we get closer to the 2025 NBA Draft, Duke Blue Devils star forward Cooper Flagg may forgo jumping to the league this season. Flagg recently hinted that he could remain in college for a second season, a decision that would shock many around the basketball world.

“Sh—, I want to come back next year,” said Flagg, in a statement that shocked the social media world.

“I still feel like a kid,” he later answered when asked if he feels more like a college player or a professional athlete. “This is the only way I’ve ever known college. That’s how I see it. I really wouldn’t know how kids felt before, and if this feels different, if this feels more like being a professional. I mean, it’s the same thing for kids in high school, too, getting paid a lot of money. I don’t know. I feel pretty normal.”media

Flagg has been great so far this season for Duke and leads them in multiple statistics categories. The true freshman currently averages 19.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game.

Duke holds a record of 21-2 and sits in first place within the ACC Conference. Much of this has to do with the play of Flagg, so a return to campus next year would drastically change how the Blue Devils built their roster.

Flagg has been the consensus favorite to be selected No. 1 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. Many NBA scouts love his game and there has already been some movement by teams to tank for better odds to land the first overall draft pick.

“I always wanted to play in college at the highest level and compete for a national championship,” the 18-year-old also proclaimed in an otherwise reserved sit-down. “That sort of thing is what I dreamed about.”

If Flagg were to stay in college for an additional season, it would change the outcome of the draft entirely. Teams would shift course and look toward the 2026 NBA Draft instead, even with the strong class coming in this year.

While it seems unlikely that he would pass up a chance to play in the NBA this year and stay at Duke for his sophomore season, weirder things have happened before. Flagg is just 18 years old so he has plenty of time to enter the NBA down the line.

Duke Blue Devils rising star forward Cooper Flagg is one of the best players in the nation. Some would argue that he is the best.

Right now, he is viewed as the clear-cut No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. That alone shows just how good many believe he is capable of becoming and already is, but there is still so much room for him to grow.

With that being said, Flagg has received a monstrous comparison to an all-time great in the NBA.

In their breakdown of him as a player, NBADraft.net revealed their NBA comparison for Flagg. They believe he’s a similar player to Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen.

Should Flagg be able to live up to anything close to that comparison, his career would be a massive success. This is just another sign of just how much hype is surrounding Flagg right now.

During the 2024-25 college basketball season with Duke so far, Flagg has played in 24 games. He has averaged 19.8 points per game to go along with 7.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks.

Flagg has also shot 48.3 percent from the floor overall and has knocked down 37.0 percent of his three-point attempts.

Standing in at 6-foot-9 and 205 pounds, Flagg is truly one of the most talented freshman players that college basketball has seen in recent history. He can do it all and his NBA outlook is off the charts.

Hopefully, the Duke standout is able to continue developing and growing his game. There is no reason why he won’t end up being a superstar at the professional level. That being said, he will have a lot of hype surrounding him and will need to be able to deal with the pressure that comes along with that hype.

Will he end up being a Pippen-like player at the next level? No one knows, but the comparison itself is high praise. Flagg simply needs to continue putting in the work and striving to be great.

All of that being said, it will be very interesting to see what kind of career Flagg is able to put together.