When watching Duke basketball star freshman Cooper Flagg, it’s hard to not be impressed with everything that you see. Flagg is one of the most hyped young players that the game of basketball has ever seen, and he is expected to be the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. He has spent just one season with the Blue Devils, and it has been an impressive one. Everything about him stands out, but there was one game in particular that caught the eye of Duke head coach Jon Scheyer.
Before Cooper Flagg came to Duke, he spent time playing for Maine United, an AAU team. During a tournament back in Flagg’s junior year of high school, he got elbowed in the nose and had to exit the contest. His nose was bleeding everywhere, and people had already told him that he shouldn’t play in this tournament even before the incident.
“Good luck telling him not to play,” Flagg’s coach Andy Bedard said, according to an article from ESPN. “He’d give you the finger then go stand on the court.”
At this point, Bedard assumed that Flagg was going to sit out. He had no reason to play to begin with, and now he was dealing with a nose injury. However, Flagg came out of the locker room to the court, and he asked his coach who he was going in for. Bedard told him to go in for anyone that he wanted.
Talent is one thing, but coaches want to see a player that loves to compete. That game showed Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer that Flagg loves to compete.
“It was that game,” Flagg’s former coach Josh Grant said. “He’s the most competitive kid you’ve ever been around. He just wanted to play, and he wanted to win so bad he didn’t care if half his face was torn off.”
Everyone that has worked with Cooper Flagg at some point has similar things to say about his competitiveness, and it has shown during this season at Duke.
“Cooper is the most competitive person I’ve ever been around,” Flagg’s trainer Matt MacKenzie said. “He’s obsessed with winning. He was constantly seeking ways to gain an edge. He doesn’t want to hear how great he is. He wants to know what he needs to do better.”
Cooper Flagg’s competitive spirit is a big reason why the Duke basketball team is currently ranked #1 in the country. The Blue Devils won the ACC regular season title, and they are going to get a one-seed in the NCAA Tournament. First, they are hoping to capture the ACC Tournament title as well.
Flagg and the Blue Devils open up ACC Tournament play on Thursday against Georgia Tech. The two teams will tip at noon ET from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Duke is favored by 23.5 points.
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