Duke basketball: Recruiting expert picks Cooper Flagg over Dylan Harper

Duke basketball recruiting target Cooper Flagg (Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports)
Duke basketball recruiting target Cooper Flagg (Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports)

A recruiting expert would pick Duke basketball target Cooper Flagg over Dylan Harper. 

Recruiting talk is heating up significantly in August and a pair of Duke basketball targets are right in the middle of the discussion.

Cooper Flagg, arguably the best high school player in the country, took an unofficial visit to Duke earlier this week and chatter grew as many predictions from recruiting sites emerged for him to eventually commit to the Blue Devils.

Flagg is still a member of the Class of 2025 but there has been speculation that he could reclassify to 2024 in the coming months.

Dylan Harper, the No. 1 player in the Class of 2024, has also created a buzz on the recruiting trail with his college decision looming and the Don Bosco Prep (NJ) native appears to be staying home and joining the Rutgers Scarlet Knights over joining the Blue Devils.

ALSO READ: Duke recruit Dylan Harper teases potential commitment

However, with it seeming likely that both prospects will end up in the 2024 recruiting class, national recruiting experts Adam Finkelstein and Eric Bossi talked about how the two players compare to each other.

“I think, for me, Cooper Flagg coming out of Peach Jam has the leg up on that No. 1 ,” Finkelstein said.

“I’ve never seen someone, at this age, who is under 7-feet tall who is a better shot blocker.”

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Cooper Flagg averaged 25.4 points, 13.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 6.8 blocks per game during his time in North Augusta, South Carolina.

In proposing the question to Eric Bossi, Adam Finkelstein asked which prospect he would take among Flagg, Harper, or Ace Bailey and the national basketball director at 247Sports answered, “Cooper. Very quickly. Would not take long.”

“If I had to pick one guy, today, in that group that goes to that 2024 class it’s a pretty easy decision to take Cooper for me,” Bossi concluded.

Both Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper are currently in San Francisco for the Curry Camp as major decisions loom for both prospects.