`His best trait is his versatility ”: Jayhawks’ Hunter Dickinson on what makes Cooper Flagg so unique
Kansas hunter Jayhawks Dickinson on what makes Cooper Flagg from Duke such a special player.
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There was no larger or breathless figure during the 2024-25 collegial college basketball season than Cooper Flagg-and for a good reason.
THE Duke The first -year phenomenon experienced each ounce of media that praised it at the college level.
The best hope of the recruitment class of 2024 and the overall choice n ° 1 planned for the draft of the NBA 2025 were the catalyst of a team of Blue Devils which was historically good statistically, with a global record of 30-3 before the male championship of the ACC on Saturday evening. At the head of this charge was flagg, which won the Honors of the Player of the Year of ACC and is considered one of the first national players of the year, as well as Johni Broome of Auburn.
Earlier this week, however, a first year season which had gone well in all possible ways was wrong.
At the end of the first half of Dukevictory against Georgia Tech In the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament, Flagg left the match with an ankle injury. There was no structural damage, but coach Jon Scheyer noted that it was a sprain, which added a measure of uncertainty for the future of Blue Devils at the most important time of the season.
What does the Flagg’s injury mean for Duke as he is preparing to play in Louisville in the AC championship match At the Charlotte Spectrum Center on Saturday?
Here is the last on the Flagg’s injury and its game status:
Will Cooper Flagg play today against Louisville?
Flagg will not play for Duke on Saturday evening during the ACC championship match against Louisville.
Scheyer shared the decision with journalists at a post-match press conference on Friday after the Blue Devils’ victory against North Archrival Carolina in the ACC semi-final.
“Regarding Cooper, he’s better”, ” Scheyer said. “The trampled ankle, all the imagery has returned negative. He did it, however. It’s a good sprain. I do not send myself any news. He’s not going to play (Saturday). He can’t play. But our goal is to prepare it for the tournament. But we must see how this weekend is going on with swelling and what it can do. “”
The third -year Duke Coach added that junior striker Maliq Brown, undoubtedly the most important defensive player of Blue Devils, will not play either. Brown was rebuilt Thursday in the victory against Georgia Tech, reacting an injury he suffered during a victory on February 17 in Virginia who put him away for almost three weeks.
Without Flagg, Duke almost wasted a 24-point lead in the second half, but was maintained to defeat the North Carolina 74-71, ending a scan of the Tar Heels three game season and potentially close the door to the dreams of the NCAA Tobacco Road Road tournament.
The Blue Devils defeated Louisville in their only previous meeting this season, a 76-65 victory on the road on December 8 in which Flagg collected a summit of 20 points and 12 rebounds, although nals limited to 28 minutes.
Cooper Flagg injury update
The first -year season of Flagg met an unexpected obstacle Thursday in the quarter -finals of the ACC tournament when he got up for a rebound on a failed Georgia Tech pointer at 3.
While landing on the ground with the secure balloon, his left ankle turned to an awkward angle, sending flagg to the ground by grabbing his lower leg in visible pain. He tended to go immediately by team coaches and was helped out of the field. A pair of teammates helped bring him back to the locker room, where he was placed in a wheelchair and suffered a more in -depth assessment.
The radiographs on his ankle came back negative, Scheyer saying that it was a sprain and describing a return for the semi-final of Friday’s ACC against North Carolina as a “long shot”.
“I should be, like, convinced by everyone in the locker room when I go back to it that he should play”, ” Scheyer said. “It is not worth it. It’s not. Again, he was already swollen. It’s not about being ready to leave tomorrow. This is not the most important thing for us. We have to see if we can do this for this race that we can do in the tournament. »»
Cooper Flagg statistics
In a Duke starry team with several future NBA players, Flagg was the largest star at both ends of the ground.
The native of the Maine 6 -foot 9 inch is on average 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while pulling 48.8% on the field, 36.8% of the 3 -point range and 83% of the free throw line.
It was also excellent defensively, with an average of 1.5 interceptions and 1.3 blocks per game. Flagg has brought to a short time to win the ACC defensive player of the year, a prize that was awarded to the Louisville Chucky Hepburn goalkeeper.
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