Fans Buzzing Over Coach K's Strong Cooper Flagg Message
The 2025 NBA draft lottery has come and gone. Duke Blue Devils standout Cooper Flagg seems likely to head to the Dallas mavericks, who won the No. 1 overall pick despite only having a 1.8% chance of doing so entering the lottery.
Nico Harrison and the Mavericks have been given the ultimate gift. After trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers before the deadline, they now have a chance to bring in another potential generational talent.
Advertisement
Flagg put together a strong freshman season at Duke during the 2024-25 college basketball season. He led the team to the Final Four and averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 steals per game.
With that being said, the legendary Coach K, Mike Krzyzewski spoke out about Flagg during an appearance talking with Colin Cowherd.. He sent a bold message about the Blue Devils star before the upcoming NBA draft in June.
"I knew he was special, because [he] had so much talent," Krzyzewski said. "I didn't realize how special he really is. This kid plays every play hard... Cooper is just unique, you know. He's so strong. His legs are so strong and athletically he's gifted. When you add his athletic ability and his competitive attitude, you have a very special guy."
Fans have taken to the comments section. Coach K's message about Flagg has people buzzing.
Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2)Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
"Every once in a while, you get a player and you just have to let them cook," one fan wrote.
Advertisement
Another fan chimed in, "Fascinating discussion with, the Goat. Would love to see much more of Coach K on the show ongoing."
"Coach K and Nick Saban should be involved in NIL decisions and policies," another fan commented.
A fourth comment about Coach K read, "Legend."
Getting this kind of praise from a legendary head coach like Krzyzewski is eye-opening. Now, Flagg will need to prove the hype to be right at the NBA level.
Related: Insider Hints Mavericks' Draft Decision is Out of GM Nico Harrison's Hands

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Post
44 minutes ago
- New York Post
Pacers' Rick Carlisle backs Doris Burke after rumors swirl about her future in top ESPN booth
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said it was 'sad' to see Wednesday's report from The Athletic speculating on Doris Burke's future in ESPN's top NBA broadcasting booth before the 2025 NBA Finals tipped off. Prior to Game 1 of the Pacers-Thunder series, Carlisle began his pregame availability Thursday with a tribute to Burke, who is part of ESPN's lead NBA broadcast team with Mike Breen and Richard Jefferson, and explained how she has inspired other woman broadcasters. 'Certainly, media people have experienced scrutiny,' Carlisle said. 'Broadcasting, it's a dynamic business and you're subjected to things from unnamed sources. It's just part of it. So, I saw the things that were leaked [Wednesday] about Doris Burke, and I just want to say a couple things. 4 (L-R) Richard Jefferson, Doris Burke, and Mike Breen on the ESPN broadcast before Game 3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder-Minnesota Timberwolves Western Conference finals on May 24, 2025. NBAE via Getty Images 4 Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said it was 'sad' to see the report by The Athletic about Doris Burke's job security at ESPN before Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals. YouTube/Indy Star 'She has changed the game for women in broadcasting,' Carlisle continued before using his 21-year-old daughter as an example of the way Burke has empowered women through her broadcasting career. '… Doris is a great example of courage and putting herself out there. It was just so sad to see these reports leaked, really, unnecessarily, before such a celebrated event. 'Doris is a friend. I've asked her many times, 'Why don't you get into coaching?' because she has such great knowledge. There are many women who she's paved the way for.' Carlisle went on to name more than half a dozen women working in NBA television media whom Burke has inspired during her career, including Knicks broadcaster Monica McNutt and Sarah Kustok, who calls Nets games for YES Network, among other broadcast roles. The coach's comments came after The Athletic reported Burke could be removed from ESPN's NBA Finals coverage next season. The report detailed how Burke's spot in the Finals broadcast is not guaranteed for next season, per ESPN's preliminary plans. 4 Richard Jefferson, Doris Burke and Mike Breen speak during Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder on June 5, 2025 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NBAE via Getty Images ESPN execs reportedly will reevaluate and discuss if they feel Burke is better on a two-person broadcast team as opposed to the three-person team. ESPN intends to re-sign Jefferson, whose contract is expiring, according to the outlet. The Athletic also noted Amazon Prime Video has expressed interest in the former NBA champ. Breen is under a long-term deal. 4 Doris Burke arrives to the arena before the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks on April 9, 2025 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NBAE via Getty Images Burke was promoted to ESPN's NBA Finals broadcast team in 2023, becoming the first woman to work as a television analyst for a major men's American sports championship. The Basketball Hall of Famer has been with ESPN since 1991. The Pacers rallied for a Game 1 victory over the Thunder on Thursday night, with star Tyrese Haliburton hitting a game-winning jumper in the final moments of the 111-110 triumph. Game 2 is set for Sunday.


Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Dallas Stars fire coach Pete DeBoer
'After careful consideration, we believe that a new voice is needed in our locker room to push us closer to our goal of winning the Stanley Cup,' longtime general manager Jim Nill said. Advertisement The Oilers won four consecutive games in the series after the Stars had a five-goal outburst in the third period of Game 1 to win by that same 6-3 score. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Dallas became the first team to reach the conference finals three seasons in a row without winning at least one Cup title under the playoff format that began in 1994. The Stars didn't even give themselves a chance to play for one. DeBoer, who turns 57 this month, had a 149-68-29 record in regular-season games and 29-27 in the playoffs with the Stars, whose 113 points during the 2023-24 season were just one off the franchise record set by their only Stanley Cup-winning team in 1998-99. He is 662-447-152 overall in 17 seasons with Dallas, New Jersey, Florida, Vegas, and San Jose, plus 97-82 in 10 postseason appearances. Advertisement Stars owner Tom Gaglardi said the day after the season finale that DeBoer was a seasoned coach, top three to top five in the league, and that he didn't see firing DeBoer being on anyone's agenda. Something certainly changed since then with DeBoer, who had one season remaining on his contract. This was the sixth time in seven seasons, with three different teams, that DeBoer took a team to the brink of the Stanley Cup Final. That included the NHL semifinals during the 2021 season with Vegas when there were no conference-based playoffs because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Stars last went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020, the playoff held in the bubble in Canada because of the pandemic. They won the West final that year in five games over DeBoer-coached Vegas. Dallas was led by Rick Bowness, who replaced the fired Jim Montgomery during the season. DeBoer was hired after the Stars moved on from Bowness.


New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Penguins coach Dan Muse has the job. Now he has to take control
PITTSBURGH — In August 2017, I stood in Mike Sullivan's backyard about an hour southeast of Boston and asked him a simple question. How did you win the Stanley Cup again? In 2016, the Penguins had the best team. It would have been something if that team didn't win the Cup. By 2017, they were exhausted, and Kris Letang was out for the postseason with an injury. So, how did they do it? Advertisement Sullivan took the cigar out of his mouth. 'Because we had nothing but alpha males,' he responded. 'That's how you win Cups.' I always found his response amusing, and not because he was wrong. Sullivan himself is the ultimate alpha male, and the coaches who have gotten the most out of the Penguins in modern times have had that personality. Michel Therrien largely made the Penguins great. His personality eventually rubbed the Penguins the wrong way, but, though he didn't get his name on the Stanley Cup, he expedited a young core into a championship-caliber team. He was so tough that he publicly called his team soft. Sullivan propelled the Penguins to their greatest heights, turning them into back-to-back champions. He didn't get them to the top of the mountain by being gentle. Dan Bylsma won the Cup, so I'm taking nothing away from him. But he didn't get the most out of the Penguins while Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Letang were in their prime because he was too nice. He ultimately didn't challenge them enough. Mike Johnston? He had the Penguins doing yoga. You know how that went. Enter Dan Muse, largely an unknown in Pittsburgh. I don't know much about his personality. I've not met the man. I've spoken with a few people who know him. The consensus is that he's a kind, good coach. But what kind of backbone does he have? I'm not asking because I'm skeptical. He'll need one. You might say that he doesn't necessarily need to be an alpha male because he was brought in to prioritize young players, not aging stars. It's a fair point. But the Big Three are still here. Erik Karlsson is still here. The Penguins, in the short term, have a real problem. It's easy to say they should tank for Gavin McKenna. But that's a loser's mindset, and, even if you tank for him, you probably won't get him. Plus, if you start drifting toward the bottom of the standings, there's a real chance you'll just become stuck like the Detroit Red Wings, or the San Jose Sharks, or the Chicago Blackhawks, or the Anaheim Ducks over the past five or six years. Advertisement Ideally, the Penguins will continue collecting future assets and develop them quickly over the next couple of years. Crosby will stay great. Malkin will have a successful farewell tour next season. Letang will successfully and happily transition into a lesser role. A coach will finally get through to Karlsson, and those incomparable offensive instincts will finally exceed all of the mistakes he's made with the Penguins. Rutger McGroarty will keep getting better. Ville Koivunen, too. None of these things will happen with a soft coach behind the bench. Crosby loves to be coached. He loves it. He doesn't like being told how great he is, nor does he like having a coach who will bow to him because he's Sidney Crosby. Sullivan used to call Crosby into his office and break down facets of his game that could be better. Crosby relished it. The two used to have healthy arguments about which linemates were best for Crosby. Is Muse going to handle Crosby similarly? He should. No one loves being challenged more than Malkin. During a slump in his second season, Malkin was called into Therrien's office. Therrien pulled out a newspaper, highlighted the league's top scorers, and asked Malkin why he wasn't at the top of the list. Malkin went on a tear. When he goes on one of his infamous drive-by defensive-zone coverages, swooping through the defensive zone without making any hard stops, will Malkin hear about it from Muse? It's a tough call. He's probably retiring after next season. He's a franchise icon. He's one of Crosby's best friends. If you're a new coach and you lose Malkin's trust, you risk losing Crosby, too. Then again, if you don't stand up to Malkin, you won't get the most out of him. It's a delicate line. If you were to give Sullivan truth serum, he'd tell you he loves Letang. I bet he wouldn't tell you he loved coaching him. Advertisement Karlsson? Oh boy. I imagine he's one of hockey's most frustrating players to coach. Coaching young players is said to be Muse's strength, so I'll assume he has a pretty good feel for getting the most out of the Penguins' prospects. Then again, he's never been an NHL head coach while doing so. Every personality is different, but being soft on young players isn't necessarily the way to go. The young guys are what matter, and this hire proves it. But what about the short term? What about this coming season? It's easy to assume the Penguins won't be good, but why settle for that? You don't hire a new coach for the explicit reason of stinking for the next couple of years. There is no competitive spirit in that — no nobility. The Penguins would love to surprise everyone next season while marinating all of those first- and second-round draft picks who are on the way. They don't have to stink forever. They don't have to tank for McKenna. They're allowed to organically get better immediately. There's no law against it. It should be their goal. Maybe it's a long shot, but it's worth trying. They won't get there with a pushover behind the bench. If the Big Three are to go out with anything other than a whimper, they need to play better next season. (Crosby was great, but Malkin and Letang decidedly were not.) The young guys need to exceed expectations. There needs to be a harmonious fusion of excellence between old and young. Muse might well be a wonderful teacher. That's important. But the same things were once said about Johnston. Muse better coach Crosby, not admire him. And he better hold Malkin, Letang and Karlsson accountable. They'll walk all over him if he doesn't. Young players will be watching. Muse will earn everybody's respect by putting the veterans in their place. The ultimate goal here is for the new generation of Penguins coming to the NHL to learn from Crosby — to merge with him and create something special before he skates away from the game. Teaching them how to tank won't do that. They need to come together, absorb a fresh message and be on the same page. That only happens with this collection of players if a no-nonsense coach sets the standard from the start.