Latest news with #CountdowntoCraziness
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Top College Basketball Recruit Sends Strong Message After Visit With Duke
Top College Basketball Recruit Sends Strong Message After Visit With Duke originally appeared on Athlon Sports. After failing to win the men's NCAA championship this past season, as many had expected them to, the Duke Blue Devils will look considerably different when they start the 2025-26 season. Advertisement They're losing star forward Cooper Flagg, big man Khaman Maluach and sharpshooter Kon Knueppel, among others, to the NBA draft. But, they received commitment from highly sought-after foreign prospect Dame Sarr, a guard from Italy, while Cameron Boozer, a top recruit in the class of 2025, has signed with them. Duke is looking to add more. Christian Collins is one of the top high school recruits in the class of 2026. He reportedly got an in-home visit from Duke, and he had some nice things to say about the program and its coaching staff. "Duke was great," Collins said. "They met my mom and auntie and we all talked… Jon Scheyer is a great coach… if he wants you — I was talking to Man Man… he said to me 'If he want you, he's going to get you.'… Coach Scheyer, he's a great coach… Same thing with Coach Carrawell… So it's good." Collins is a 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward from the greater Los Angeles area. According to 247 Sports, he's a five-star recruit and has gotten offers from some other prominent basketball schools, including Arizona, Arizona State, Alabama, Kentucky, Villanova, UCLA and UC Berkeley. Advertisement He would be a big get for a Duke program that is looking for its first national championship since 2015. Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reaches for the fans during Countdown to Craziness at Cameron Indoor Nash-Imagn Images With Flagg, who is almost certainly going to be the No. 1 pick in this year's NBA draft and a future star, leading the way, Duke looked like a powerhouse this past season. But after relatively easy wins in the first four rounds of the tournament, it blew a double-digit lead in the second half of its Final Four contest and lost to Houston. Still, there is no doubt that Scheyer is building an attractive program three years after the legendary Mike Krzyzewski retired. Related: Cameron Boozer Sends Message on Big Duke Announcement This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Paul George Doesn't Hold Back About Duke's Cooper Flagg Before NBA Draft
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The 2025 NBA Draft is right around the corner. While the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder are set to begin on Thursday, the draft is coming up quickly and will be held on June 25. Duke star Cooper Flagg is ready to be the No. 1 overall pick and get his career underway. Flagg has been the projected No. 1 pick for at least a year now. He did not disappoint the hype in his freshman season with the Blue Devils. In the 2025 NBA Draft lottery, the Dallas Mavericks made the shocking leap up to the No. 1 overall pick. They had a 1.8 percent chance of doing so in the lottery, but Nico Harrison was given a major gift and stroke of luck after trading away Luka Doncic last season. Cooper Flagg #2 of the Duke Blue Devils dribbles up court during Countdown to Craziness at Cameron Indoor Stadium on October 4, 2024 in Durham, North Carolina. Cooper Flagg #2 of the Duke Blue Devils dribbles up court during Countdown to Craziness at Cameron Indoor Stadium on October 4, 2024 in Durham, North Carolina. Photo byWith the draft coming up quickly, a lot of opinions have been given about Flagg's future in the league. Most recently, Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George spoke out with a strong opinion about the Duke standout. Read more: Lakers' LeBron James Set to Make Major NBA History Next Season On a recent episode of his show, "Podcast P," George did not hold back from predicting a very bright future for the young forward. "I think he's going to be an All-Star. When it's all said and done, I think he's going to go down as one of the best players our league has seen," George said. "He's got that talent." During the 2024-25 college basketball season with the Blue Devils, Flagg put together big numbers. He played in 37 games, averaging 19.2 points per game to go along with 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 steals. In addition, he shot 48.1 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from the three-point line. What kind of player could Flagg become at the NBA level? There have been many comparisons made for him. ESPN has shared what they think the "ceiling comp" could be for Flagg. They have that comparison listed as Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard. One Western Conference scout spoke out on the potential comparison. Read more: Knicks Urged to Pursue Shocking Offseason Roster Move "[Flagg]'s really good defensively and can be a game changer on that end pretty much immediately with his size, effort and IQ," the scout said. "He's always been a very good defender and the offense is coming along. It's a very similar path to the one Kawhi was on early in his NBA career, as a guy who had all these really useful qualities, and then entered as a real two-way force as he rounded out his game." Only time will tell the future for Flagg. However, he has elite potential and George clearly believes in him. Fans won't have to wait much longer to get their first look at the Duke star. It seems likely that the Mavericks will be taking Flagg, which will put him in a great place to get off to a strong start in the NBA. For more NBA news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Duke's Surprise Coaching Announcement Sparks Strong Fan Reaction
Fresh off their run to the men's Final Four, the Duke Blue Devils are shaking things up heading into next season. While the team is losing a cornerstone player in freshman phenom Cooper Flagg, who's projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, the Blue Devils are also reloading. Advertisement With the No. 2 recruiting class in the country, Duke is adding five-star power forward Cameron Boozer, his brother, four-star point guard Cayden Boozer, four-star power forward Nikolas Khamenia, and small forward Cedric Coward, a four-star transfer from Washington State. And if that weren't enough, Duke is also bolstering its coaching staff after announcing the hire of Evan Bradds. The 31-year-old assistant coach had a decorated college career at Belmont that included two AP honorable mention All-American honors, two OVC Player of the Year awards, and two All-OVC first-team selections. Bradds has spent seven seasons as an NBA assistant — five with the Boston Celtics (2018-2022) and two with the Utah Jazz (2022-2024). Advertisement 'I am honored to be joining the Duke Basketball program and want to express my immense gratitude to coach Jon Scheyer for this opportunity,' Bradds said. 'I am looking forward to working alongside coach Scheyer and the Duke team to help continue the long-standing tradition that is Duke Basketball.' The hire caught the attention of several people on social media, notably ESPN college insider Pete Thamel. 'An interesting hire from Duke from the NBA,' he wrote. 'Shows how college basketball is changing, as player development and schematics are trumping recruiting backgrounds for blue blood schools. Bradds comes well regarded after running the Jazz player development program.' Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reaches for the fans during Countdown to Craziness at Cameron Indoor Nash-Imagn Images Thamel wasn't the only who was surprised by Duke's outside-the-box hire. Advertisement 'We may be on the only college program that can get an NBA assistant coach to come down to college,' one fan replied. 'Interesting to go with an NBA guy for the open spot. Would seem to be a hire geared towards player development and analytics (two areas in which the NBA is significantly ahead of CBB) rather than recruiting,' another pointed out. 'Great hire, this is why Duke continues to bring in the best talent, it's all about player development here,' a third fan stated. 'Duke was ahead of the curve when they hired Rachel Baker as their GM - effectively took a branding expert at Nike for NIL reason (brilliant) Now, this hire. Leaning into player development more. Good hire imo. Scheyer is smart,' remarked one user. Advertisement 'ELITE Hire. Jon Scheyer the mastermind 🔥,' another user exclaimed. Related: Duke's Jon Scheyer Assigns Blame After Final Four Loss to Houston
