There is no denying that Cooper Flagg is one of the best players in the nation, but Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer wants to make sure everyone is talking about Flagg in the right fashion.
Flagg is coming off yet another stellar performance against Pittsburgh on Tuesday night with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists while also landing one of the best dunks of the season over a 7-foot defender from the Panthers.
Social media was buzzing after Flagg’s most recent showing, further cementing himself as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and his head coach spoke strongly about his mentality in games.
“He loves being in the moment, being in the arena, but he’s got an edge to him now,” Scheyer said after the 76-47 victory.
“He was pissed at himself for the second foul and then, you know, all of a sudden he picks up his third and it just got him going.”
Flagg’s third foul of the game came on the immediate possession before his steal and dunk. It got him angry, and he took out his frustration quickly.
“I was kind of mad at myself for a stupid foul. It was definitely a little anger, and I took it out on the rim,” Flagg said. “To be honest, I kind of felt like as soon as I jumped, my mind kind of went blank and it just all happened really fast.”
It has continued a stretch of games where Cooper Flagg has been simply sensational in ACC play, averaging 20.0 points per game in five conference games.
“I know I’m biased or whatever, but if we’re not talking about him as one of the best, if not a chance to be one of the best players in the country,” Scheyer continued.
“To me he is the best player. I think he’s proven that with who we’ve played, the competition, the fact he’s done in such a mature way. He doesn’t hunt numbers; he just puts up numbers because the game comes to him.”
No. 4 Duke (13-2, 5-0 ACC) will look to continue its perfect start to league play when hosting Notre Dame (7-8, 1-3 ACC) on Saturday afternoon (12:00 p.m. ET, ESPN).
“When we step on the floor, we have the best player in the country."