Cooper Flagg has always been a competitor. From battling his twin brother in video games as a child to treating future Duke teammates as enemies on the court, the freshman phenom has never backed down. So when Duke head coach Jon Scheyer publicly challenged him to stop deferring and take over, Flagg delivered time.
Under the bright lights of Sweet 16, with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line, Flagg put up a performance that had NBA scouts nodding in approval. It was against Arizona, he dropped a game-high 30 points, dominating both ends of the floor as Duke secured a hard-fought 100-93 victory. This was exactly what Scheyer had been waiting for. But even after Flagg answered the call, Duke’s head coach made it clear, he wanted more.
All season long, Flagg has been a do-it-all force for Duke. His 18.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game make him one of the most complete players in college basketball. But Scheyer wasn’t looking for just another good performance from his star freshman—he wanted a statement.
“What I’ve wanted for him is not to defer,” Scheyer said after the game. “He was in his element tonight. He impresses me all the time, but we need more of that on Saturday.”
“What I’ve wanted for him is not to defer, he was in his element tonight,” Jon Scheyer said of Cooper Flagg.
“He impresses me all the time but we need more of that on Saturday.” https://t.co/buuxUgKgN3
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 28, 2025
And Flagg did. He answered the challenge by putting up one of the best performances of the season. He came out on fire, scoring 18 points in the first half alone.
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