Jon Scheyer made it clear that he does not listen to or read any of the speculation regarding the future of Duke basketball superstar Cooper Flagg, but he knows for sure he isn’t returning to Durham next year.
Scheyer was asked about the potential of Flagg coming back for his sophomore season on Wednesday prior to the team’s practice ahead of meeting Arizona in the Sweet 16 and he didn’t leave anything up to interpretation.
“Cooper is about to move on with something incredibly special with the next step he's going to go after this,” he said. “But happiness doesn't necessarily equate to just becoming a pro or just making money, although they're making money either way now.”
There had been talk for weeks about Flagg forgoing the NBA Draft this June and returning to Duke for his sophomore year since college athletes can make a large amount of money in NIL, although Flagg would be giving up many lucrative deals in the NBA to continue playing collegiately.
The idea always felt farfetched despite his attraction and love to Duke.
“I think it's important for guys to -- each guy is their own individual, so I think depending on the situation, guys should make the decisions for themselves,” Scheyer added.
Flagg has become the face of college basketball this season and has been destined to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft ever since he reclassified into the 2024 recruiting class.
Some NBA Draft experts believed he would have even been the No. 1 overall pick last year had he been able to skip college and go to the NBA straight from high school.
“Cooper's thing is different. Cooper's thing is that's said, and that's going to happen, as it should.”
Flagg, the ACC Player of the Year, National Freshman of the Year, and likely National Player of the Year, will lead No. 1 Duke into battle on Thursday night against No. 4 Arizona in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament after averaging 16.0 points per game in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament while returning from an ankle injury.
Tipoff between the Blue Devils and Wildcats will be 30 minutes after the completion of the Alabama and BYU matchup at 9:39 p.m. ET (CBS).