Cooper Flagg joins forgotten Duke basketball one-and-done in exclusive club

Cooper Flagg had every set of eyes around the world on him during his Duke basketball debut Monday night against Maine and the No. 1 recruit in the country lived up to the massive hype.

Flagg, who might have been outshined a bit by his freshman teammate Kon Knueppel scoring 22 points, still finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals in the Blue Devil 96-62 victory. He was 6-of-15 from the floor but missed all four of his 3-point attempts.

The Maine native joined Jalen Johnson as the only Duke basketball players to record at least 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists in their debuts with the team.

Johnson did it with 19 points, 19 rebounds, and five assists to begin the disastrous 2020-21 season against Coppin State, which saw the Blue Devils miss the NCAA Tournament amid COVID disruptions as Johnson withdrew from the team in mid-February.

Still, the 5-star prospect became a first round draft pick, selected No. 20 overall by the Atlanta Hawks, and recently earned a 5-year, $150 million contract extension with the franchise. He is recognized within the Duke program as a member of 'The Brotherhood'.

Johnson averaged 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per contest during his 11-game Duke career.

Flagg will be looking to carve a much different path at Duke as the top ranked recruit is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and the focal point of a Blue Devil squad that has legitimate National Championship aspirations, unlike Johnson's team in Durham.

Cooper Flagg will return to the court on Friday night (6:00 p.m. ET, ACC Network) against Army (1-0) before the schedule gets much more difficult for the Blue Devils (1-0) with matchups looming against Kentucky, Arizona, and Kansas later in the month.