Cooper Flagg, a freshman basketball player for Duke, has had an incredible month, but he has returned to Durham to finish the program’s offseason exercises.
Being the first college player invited to compete since 2013, Flagg left university at the start of July to compete with the USA Basketball Select Team in its Olympic Team training camp.
The top-ranked prospect not only had the opportunity to play with some of the NBA’s best players, but he also dazzled in scrimmages against guys like Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis, and LeBron James.
Following Kawhi Leonard’s dismissal, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer also traveled to Las Vegas to watch Flagg play against Team USA. Some believed Flagg could have done enough to earn a spot on the Olympic roster, but USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill chose Boston Celtics guard Derrick White instead.
Following his conclusion of training camp in Vegas, Flagg traveled to Los Angeles for the ESPY Awards, where he received the Gatorade Best Male Player of the Year award.
“It’s a privilege to receive this award, and it’s made even more special by being given by some of the biggest names in basketball,” Flagg remarked. “It’s special to put my name next to theirs; the list of previous Gatorade Best Players of the Year speaks for itself.”
Cooper Flagg is now back in Durham, where he is wrapping up the Blue Devils’ summer training before taking a few weeks off until the autumn semester begins at the end of August.
Leave a Reply