Considered by many to be the next big thing in college hoops, Cooper Flagg has announced his arrival on the scene with a solid regular-season debut for Duke basketball on Monday against the Maine Black Bears in Durham.
Inside a packed Cameron Indoor Stadium, Flagg put up 18 points and added seven rebounds and five assists with three steals in 30 minutes of action. He needed 15 attempts from the field to get to his scoring total, but he was also 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in a 96-62 blowout win over the visitors.
There is nothing to worry about Flagg based on his first game with the Blue Devils. However, Duke basketball supporters momentarily held their collective breaths when the first-year forward went down on the ground shortly after attempting to complete a layup late in the contest.
Flagg asked for help from Duke’s bench, a sight that raised the anxiety level of the fans. However, it became quickly apparent that he merely suffered leg cramps. It’s painful, but it’s not something anyone should be seriously concerned about with regard to Flagg’s health.
“Coach even came to me right after I started cramping and was telling me he wanted to give me the experience of playing extended minutes like that,” Flagg shared after the game, referencing Duke head coach Jon Scheyer’s attempt to teach the freshman a lesson about the reality in college basketball (h/t Ryan Haley of Duke Wire).
“And it’s definitely something different, something I haven’t experienced before with this long of a game.”
Before committing to Duke, Flagg got offers from the likes of the Georgia Bulldogs, Michigan Wolverines, Providence Friars, UCLA Bruins, West Virginia Mountaineers, and even the Black Bears.
Cooper Flagg, Duke basketball breezes past Maine for win no. 1
Meanwhile, another freshman led the Blue Devils in the Maine game, with Kon Knueppel scoring 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the floor in 31 minutes. As a team, the Blue Devils shot 55.6 percent from the field and hit 11 of their 29 attempts from behind the arc.
After finally getting a true taste of college basketball, Flagg will turn his attention next on helping Duke secure another win this coming Friday against the Army Black Knights, still in Durham.
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