Flagg evokes Zion with ‘upset’ dunk in Duke win

David Hale, ESPN

• Personnel WriterJan 7, 2025, 10:08 PM ET Close College football reporter.Joined ESPN in 2012. Graduate of the University of Delaware.DURHAM,
• N.C.– Cooper Flagg stated he hadn’t seen sufficient angles yet

to offer his monster second-half dunk versus Pitt an official grade, but the Duke freshman guessed it had to do with an 8.5 out of 10. His colleague Tyrese Proctor went a little additional.

“That’s the very best in-game dunk I’ve ever seen,”Proctor said

.”It might be one of the best dunks, duration. “As soon as No. 4 Duke went back to the locker room after an emphatic 76-47 win over Pitt, Proctor had the dunk pulled up on his phone with the whole team gathered around to watch it again.Flagg had actually been frustrated after a subtle very first half in which he picked up an early two fouls, sat

for an extended period and finished with just five points. He included foul No. 3 with 17:43 to go and was visibly frustrated.A moment later, he took a pass near the standard, drove the length of the court, took off near the top of the key and slammed home the dunk

, which amazed the crowd in what Duke coach Jon Scheyer called”a Zion type of play,”remembering the enjoyment of previous star Zion Williamson’s highlights at Cameron Indoor.Editor’s Picks ” We have actually had a couple of guys through the years to make a couple plays that simply stimulate everybody in the structure,” Scheyer said. “That was among those moments tonight.”

Flagg confessed he was “mad” after getting flagged for his third foul, saying he may have taken some aggravation out on the rim on the occurring dunk.He stated he understood by midcourt he was going to rating, but it wasn’t till he checked out the defender in the paint that he chose to dunk. From there, he said, it was a blur.

“I practically blanked out as soon as I leapt, and everything from that was just a flash,” said Flagg, who finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. “I jumped, my mind went blank, and all of it occurred actually fast.”

Flagg peered up at the crowd, which was raucously celebrating the minute, then was swallowed up by teammates. Pitt’s Guillermo Diaz Graham was required a foul on the play, and Flagg made the occurring free throw. After Pitt missed a layup on the other end, Flagg drilled another dunk to put Duke up by 14– though the 2nd one wasn’t nearly as acrobatic as the very first, which he stated was “leading 3” for him.

“He gets angry, but he’s loose at the exact same time,” Scheyer said. “He loves being in the arena, however he’s got an edge to him now, and it can go fast. We saw that tonight. He picked up his third [foul] and it just got him going.”

Duke controlled after Flagg’s heroics, outscoring the Panthers 37-21 following the dunk. Flagg’s second half included 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, 7 rebounds and 5 helps. He was plus-16 in the half.After the game, which Duke ended up on an 18-0 run, Scheyer stressed that there must be no dispute over who the best player in the nation is at this point. “He’s shown it with who he’s played and how he’s done it in such a mature way,” Scheyer stated. “He’s so competitive, and he just brings out a great deal of excellent things from his teammates.”