Duke basketball: Cooper Flagg avoids serious injury after ankle rolls underneath body

It could have been a very scary situation for future Duke basketball standout Cooper Flagg on Thursday night in Indiana.

The No. 1 player in the Class of 2024 was ready to put the finishing touches on a quarterfinal victory in the Chipotle High School Nationals and advance to Friday's semifinal round, but a hard closeout from AZ Compass Prep's Vyctorius Miller, who committed to LSU earlier in the day, sent Flagg to the court in pain.

The 6-foot-9 forward was looking to hit a corner 3-pointer with 7:19 remaining and Montverde Academy (Fla.) leading by 16 points, 49-33. However, the body of Miller collided with Flagg on the closeout and the Duke signee's foot landed on the defender.

As Flagg fell, his ankle rolled underneath his body and he remained down, clutching at his left ankle.

The gym went silent as a trainer came out to check on Flagg, who got up and tried to walk off the pain with a limp. He told head coach Kevin Boyle he was fine but the 4-time National Coach of the Year called a timeout to give his star more time to ease the pain.

Cooper Flagg would remain in the game after the stoppage and play 31-of-32 minutes, finishing with 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals on 6-of-13 shooting. He, along with some other teammates, joined the team in the Hoosier State after the McDonald's All-American Game on Tuesday night.

ESPN recruiting analyst Paul Biancardi, who was the color commentator for the game, said, "He's about as tough as they make them, Cooper Flagg, so you know if he's hurt, it really hurts."

Montverde won, 64-49, setting up a date between Flagg and Cameron and Cayden Boozer, Duke basketball recruiting targets in the Class of 2025, in the semifinals on Friday afternoon (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2).