Duke's Cooper Flagg named AP men's college basketball player of the year
Maybe so, but the the 18-year-old's game has been far more advanced than his age from the opening tip of his college debut. Scoring. Rebounding. Setting up teammates as a playmaker, then aiding them as a defender. He did it all amid high expectations as the potential No. 1 overall NBA draft prospect, the driving force with a relentless competitive edge and mature focus for a team now two wins from a national championship.
It is why Flagg was named The Associated Press men's college basketball national player of the year on Friday, becoming only the fourth freshman to win the award in its 64-year history.
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The 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward from Newport, Maine, won a two-man race with Auburn star Johni Broome. Both players were unanimous first-team AP All-Americans with teams at the Final Four, and they were the only two to receive player-of-the-year votes, Flagging 41 of the 61.
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Flagg joins Duke's Zion Williamson (2019), Kentucky's Anthony Davis (2012), and Texas star Kevin Durant (2007) as freshman winners. Each went either No. 1 or No. 2 overall in the NBA draft a few months later. Flagg is the eighth Duke player to win the award, most of any program.
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'He plays so hard, he's competitive, a great teammate,' Duke coach Jon Scheyer said after the Blue Devils' home finale, 'and obviously his ability is special.'
Flagg was 17 when he arrived at Duke after reclassifying to graduate early from high school. Yet he has exceeded all hype as the nation's top-ranked recruit, with Flagg leading Duke in scoring (18.9 points per game), rebounding (7.5), assists (4.2) and steals (1.4) while ranking second in blocks (1.3) entering Saturday's national semifinal against Houston.
'I hold myself to a high standard, high expectations,' Flagg told the AP. 'Just because I know how much work I've put in and how many hours I've spent grinding and putting that work in. ... It's those expectations of just trusting what you do and just doing it to the highest level.'
And he repeatedly did that.
He scored an Atlantic Coast Conference freshman-record 42 points against Notre Dame. There was his highlight-reel transition dunk against Pittsburgh. The big game to help the Blue Devils beat Broome's Tigers, along with going for 30 points in an NCAA Sweet 16 win against Arizona that Scheyer called 'one of the best tournament performances I've ever coached or been a part of.'
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Cohesive play is the hallmark of this Blue Devils team, the only one ranked in KenPom's top five for both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency.
It has offered ways for Flagg to improve in his first and possibly lone college season as he learned 'the level of the details' required to thrive. It was ensuring he got in for pre-practice recovery sessions. Or listening when graduate transfer Mason Gillis and junior Tyrese Proctor pushed the importance of sleep, prompting Flagg to nix a high-school habit of late-night phone scrolling.
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'As far as outside expectations, I couldn't really care less,' Flagg said. 'For me, it's more about following the expectations of my teammates, my coaches, my family. Everybody's human so I'm going to make mistakes. I'm not going to be at my best all the time.
'But that's what having great teammates and great coaches does for you. They just always have my back and are always there for me.'
Flagg noted multiple times how much he has enjoyed Duke. He has talked about making connections and fitting in with other students he called 'elite in their own respects.'
That's offered a respite from the spotlight, even as he's featured in ads and commercials as a leading-man star for college basketball with players permitted to profit from their athletic fame. He is now used to requests for autographs and selfies, shrugging that 'there could be worse problems to have.'
Flagg has avoided saying he is making the expected jump to the NBA after the season. For now, there are more pressing things to deal with, from the Final Four to ordering that water gun.
'I have to,' Flagg insisted. 'What am I going to do? I'm going to be unarmed?'
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