Duke’s Flagg ‘not running’ from lofty expectations

• Jeff Borzello, ESPN

  • Staff WriterOct 9, 2024, 06:21 PM ET Close Basketball recruiting insider.
  • Joined ESPN in 2014.
  • Graduate of University of Delaware.CHARLOTTE, North Carolina

— While Cooper Flagg isn’t in attendance at this week’s annual ACC Tipoff, it’s clear Duke’s star freshman is still the talk of the league.The nation’s top

incoming recruit– and the predicted No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft– is going into college basketball with a tremendous amount of buzz, and there’s a buzz around the ACC concerning his looming launching. But his colleagues and coaches say the attention hasn’t impacted him given that getting here on school.”His mindset on a day-to-day

basis– for a 17-year old– is something I haven’t actually seen before,”junior guard Tyrese Proctor told ESPN.”Off the flooring, he does not pay attention to all the media. There’s so much stuff going on externally and I feel like– he’s a modest kid. He’s just concentrated on winning and doing his job for the group.”Editor’s Picks 2 Related”He’s a remarkable kid,”sophomore guard Caleb

Foster added.”He’s a fantastic colleague, he completes every day. He’s Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, who was the No. 1 recruit in the 2024 class; he’s really modest. He fits right in with us. “Head coach Jon Scheyer has lots of experience handling outdoors sound and freshmen getting in college with outsize expectations. He was an assistant coach under Mike Krzyzewski when Duke signed the top 3 employees, consisting of Zion Williamson, in the 2018 class and was likewise on personnel in Durham when heaven Devils produced No. 1 choice Paolo Banchero in 2022. Scheyer stated Flagg has actually shown no indications of selfishness or a disruptive ego during his time with heaven Devils.

“He’s been a delight to coach, man,”he informed ESPN.” He’s got an amazing balance of being positive with humility.

Humility permits us to coach him actually tough and for him not to get down himself or take it the incorrect way. He truly wishes to end up being the very best version of himself. When your most gifted player, your finest player, takes training the hardest, it sets the tone for the rest of the team. That’s what we had when Paolo was here. That’s what we had with Zion. That’s what we had with some of our great players. They have to do with the group. They’re not too big for anything. “It is very important for all of us to remember he’s 17,”Scheyer included.” This is a procedure. But he’s not running from it, he’s not afraid of it. And he’s been simply such a hero to coach. “Following last season’s Elite 8 loss to NC State, Duke saw an exodus of players to the NBA draft

and the transfer website. Just 2 players, Proctor and Foster, stay from that team. But Scheyer reconstructed the lineup with the country’s No. 1 recruiting class and landed a trio of skilled role players from the transfer portal that will see minutes from the first day.Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, who was the No. 1 recruit in the 2024 class, is “really humble” and “fits right in,” states teammate Caleb Foster. Picture by Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Freshman guard Kon Knueppel, who debuted at No. 6 in ESPN’s leading 100 NBA draft rankings, has actually developed considerable preseason buzz, while transfers Mason Gillis (Purdue), Maliq Brown (Syracuse) and Sion James (Tulane) have made an impact.

“The buzz train, whatever you want to call it, is up there,” Scheyer stated. “You can feel it. It’s tangible to me. But that’s what you desire it to be. That indicates you remain in the arena. The thing that I’ve tried to describe to our team, though, is it does not mean anything.”

What it has actually done, however, is put Flagg in unfavorable situations and drew out his competitive drive.

“He’s gotten knocked back,” Scheyer stated. “And his team has actually lost. Not all the time. Seldom. But it’s taken place. It benefits him.”

“There’s nothing truly he can’t do. He’s truly sharp at everything he does,” Proctor included. “The main thing is he completes at such a high level. He dislikes losing.”

While other ACC coaches are not exactly delighted about needing to get ready for and go against Flagg, they know how great the Maine local can be this season– and in the future.NC State head coach Kevin Keatts, who directed the Wolfpack to the Final 4 in April, viewed Flagg for years on the grassroots circuit. However his gratitude for Flagg’s game was required to a brand-new level when he bet the males’s nationwide group over the summer season as a part of the USA Select Team.

“When a guy’s got it, he’s got it,” Keatts told ESPN. “You get an opportunity to see him in the summertime and you see how great he is, however I believe something that opens your eyes up was when he was betting grown males, challenging, playing against the Olympic group. You got a chance to see a truly good side of it. There’s no rejecting that he’s an actually, actually great basketball player.”

Georgia Tech head coach Damon Stoudamire played in the NBA for 13 seasons and was an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics as recently as 2023. He believes Flagg can have a similar effect as Christian Laettner on the Duke program from a national perspective.

“Offensively, he’s great– I believe he will get better offensively. When I state he’ll improve offensively, it simply suggests it’ll slow down for him,” Stoudamire informed ESPN. “He’ll understand precisely where he’s getting his [shots] from. He’ll understand precisely how to get to his spots on the flooring. He’s pretty good defensively, guy. He’s pretty good at staying in between his guy and the basket. He can switch ball screens; he can do a great deal of things. He’s got great size. He’s athletic as hell.

“He has an opportunity to be among the unique ones.”