Duke's Cooper Flagg a somewhat rare bird who dominates the floor
Duke forward Cooper Flagg reacts after dunking during the first half in the second round of the NCAA cTournament against Baylor on Sunday in Raleigh, N.C. Credit: AP/Stephanie Scarbrough
NEWARK
The story of Cooper Flagg’s spectacular season is unique, but there are things we can use to frame it up a little.
There is a feeling about it that makes one reminisce about Kevin Durant or Anthony Davis. There is a look about it that reminds observers of Larry Bird.
From the moment that a 17-year-old Flagg arrived for his freshman season at Duke, he commanded the national spotlight, and he continued to hold it with Thursday night’s exceptional 30-point, seven-assist, six-rebound effort in the No. 1-seeded Blue Devils’ 100-93 East Region semifinal win over No. 4 Arizona before 18,617 at Prudential Center.
The consensus No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft showed exactly why he’s been the biggest story all season. He was the catalyst for Duke (35-3) to break open a close game and build a comeback-proof 19-point lead. In a span of 14:37 bridging the two halves, Duke outscored Arizona 46-29 for a 70-51 lead, and Flagg scored 19 points and assisted on 12 other points in the burst.
Kon Kneuppel added 20 points, Sion James 16 and Khaman Maluach 13 for the Blue Devils, who will face No. 2 Alabama on Saturday night for a spot in the Final Four. Caleb Love scored 35 for Arizona.
“That was one of the best tournament performances I’ve ever coached or been a part of,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “He just did what he was supposed to do, and he’ll move on and get ready for Alabama. I think that’s the beauty of it with him — he doesn’t get caught up in all of it . . . He was in his element tonight. He impresses me all the time, but we need more of that on Saturday.”
Said Flagg, “It’s just . . . make the right play and let the game happen.”
There were other potentially good stories in this tournament that might have eclipsed Flagg’s but ultimately didn’t. Connecticut opened the season looking for a third straight national championship, then lost three games at the Maui Invitational before November was done, and the Huskies were ousted in the second round of the tournament. The rebirth of St. John’s in Rick Pitino’s second season grew into a national story when the Red Storm cracked the AP Top 10 in early February, but their season ended last weekend.
The last two freshmen who captivated a nation of college basketball fans for an entire season were Durant for Texas in 2006-07 and Davis for Kentucky in 2011-12. They were must-see players and finished the season as the consensus national Player of the Year, just as Flagg likely will. Davis’ Wildcats won the national title, but Durant was able to take his team only to the NCAA Tournament’s second round.
Flagg, who turned 18 in December, grew up in Maine and spent countless hours watching videos of Bird and the Celtics. He has tried — awfully successfully — to craft his game after the Hall of Famer. So the comparisons that get drawn are about more than his 6-9 height and complexion.
“Yeah, obviously I grew up watching old Larry Bird videos and stuff like that — the 1985-86 Celtics team and their championship that year,” Flagg said Wednesday. “Obviously, it’s really cool to hear people say that. He’s a legend, so it gives me a lot of confidence and it’s just a big compliment.”
He should just keep doing what he’s doing. Flagg went into Thursday’s game leading the Blue Devils in every offensive category with averages of 18.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Certainly that’s Bird-esque.
But wait, there’s more. Flagg also is Duke’s top defender. He was averaging 1.3 blocked shots and 1.4 steals, also team highs, and it might be the most underrated part of his game. Bird was part of a good team defense but wasn’t really considered an exceptional one-on-one defender.
Flagg had three blocked shots Thursday, helping to keep Arizona — which cut the 19-point deficit to five — from making it a one-possession game.
While it might be difficult to single out what Flagg does best, it’s even harder to identify his weaknesses . . . or really any weakness in his game.
“Cooper obviously is a huge part of what we do with every aspect,” Scheyer said. “Defense in particular, his length, and then his instincts . . . He closes that window quick when somebody does have an opportunity . . . He’s a guy that can guard 1 through 5, but his defensive instincts off the ball have been a huge part of what we’ve done on the defensive end.’’
Flagg momentarily turned fans of pro and college basketball upside down last month when he gave an interview to The Athletic that included him saying of Duke, “I want to come back.”
But Flagg is destined to wear the uniform of the team lucky enough to the win the NBA Draft Lottery. As Scheyer said, “Cooper is about to move on with something incredibly special with the next step he’s going to go after this.”
What we’ve been seeing all season seems incredibly special, too. And now we get at least one more night.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
