Duke basketball freshman Cooper Flagg has turned heads throughout the country and former Blue Devil Jay Bilas, who covers basketball for ESPN, made his thoughts very clear about the rookie sensation ahead of his first game against North Carolina.
“He’s the best full package of a freshman I’ve seen here at Duke in the 40-plus years I’ve been associated with this program,” he said on Friday’s episode of Pardon The Interruption on ESPN
That doesn’t mean he’s going to be the best player in the NBA or all that. But when you combine his skill level and his mental makeup as a freshman, nobody’s had that.”
Flagg is poised to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and the current leader for the ACC Player of the Year as well as the National Player of the Year.
“He’s got the same kind of competitive nature that [Christian] Laettner had. And to me, that’s saying something. Laettner was the most competitive person I think that’s played in this program, I believe,” Bilas continued.
Laettner is arguably the best player in the history of the Duke basketball program with two National Championships, four appearances in the Final Four, and being the National Player of the Year in 1992.
“I think Cooper Flagg, at least to this point as a freshman, is equal in that department,” Bilas added. “Whether he’ll be equal as a player, he won’t be here long enough to match his four-year record. But he’s the real deal.”
Jay Bilas doubled down his comments during Saturday’s College Game Day from Cameron Indoor Stadium ahead of the matchup against the Tar Heels.
“I think he’s the most advanced freshman in every facet of the game that Duke’s had, and they’ve had some unbelievable freshmen here. I’m not saying he’s the most talented, there’s Jayson Tatum, Kyrie [Irving]…There have been some great freshmen here, but what he’s doing on a competitive level — he’s the most competitive freshman I’ve seen.”
The No. 2 Blue Devils tipoff at 6:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) against the Tar Heels inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.