Cooper Flagg, high school basketball’s top prospect and the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, announced his commitment to Duke on Monday.
Flock chose the Blue Devils over UConn.
Duke was seen as the favorite from the early days of Flagg’s recruitment. Even when Flag played on the 15U Nike EYBL circuit, Coach John Schaer made his presence felt in Flag games and continued to be a staple of his games this past spring. Coaches from UConn, Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan also spent time watching him last summer.
Three schools appeared for the flag: Duke, UConn and Kansas. He took an official visit to Storrs, Connecticut in late September as the Huskies continued to close the gap. Shortly after, Flock canceled a scheduled trip to Kansas, leaving only the Blue Devils and Huskies. But last weekend’s second visit to Duke for the Blue Devils’ Countdown to Craziness event shifted the momentum firmly toward Skier and the Blue Devils.
“After I got to campus, I really started to envision myself in Durham,” Flagg told SLAM in his dedication video. “All the crazies in Cameroon and all the love I feel for the situation really inspires me. I’m honored to have the opportunity to join the fraternity.”
In August, Flagg announced he was reclassifying from the Class of 2025 to 2024 and plans to enter college the following fall. He will turn 18 in December of his freshman year, making him eligible for the 2025 NBA Draft.
Flagg, a 6-foot-8 forward from Maine, established himself as the nation’s top prospect with long stretches of production in June and July. He was ranked No. 2 in the summer of 2025 behind Cameron Boozer, but earned MVP honors at the National Basketball Players Association’s Top 100 camp in Orlando, Florida in late June. Beach Jam in July.
In one of the most consistently dominant displays in event history, Flagg averaged 25.4 points, 13 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 6.9 blocks in the Beach Jam. He had a double-double in all seven games, including three triple-doubles. He posted 38 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists and 12 blocks against Pro Skills and 37 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 10 blocks against New Heights Lightning.
Overall, Flagg averaged 26.8 points, 12.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 5.2 blocks and shot 37.4% from 3-point range in 22 games with Maine United last spring and summer.
After leading Nokomis Regional High School (Maine) to a state title as a high school principal, Flagg transferred to Monteverde Academy (Florida) to play for legendary high school coach Kevin Boyle. He played in 25 games last season, averaging 9.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 blocks in 18 minutes per game.
He has played a big role for Monteverde this season, averaging 19.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists in three games in the Border League in Las Vegas earlier this month.
Flagg represented USA Basketball at the FIBA U17 World Cup in 2022 at just 15 years old, leading to a gold medal. He averaged 9.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and a team-high 2.4 steals and 2.9 blocks in seven games, including a 10-point, 17-rebound, eight-steal, four-block performance in the final against Spain. The 17 rebounds were a single-game record for the Men’s U17 team. He was named USA Basketball’s Male Athlete of the Year in December 2022.
“Cody is different,” an NBA scout told ESPN over the summer. “He’s got the mentality. He’s consistent with his mentality, motor and production. If he doesn’t develop his offensive package an ounce from today, he’s still in the running for Defensive Player of the Year in the NBA. Live-ball playmaking, shot-creation, instinct on both ends. Just the progressions of reading and playing and then how he carries himself…the game as a whole.”
“Cooper Flagg is what a modern-day division looks like in the NBA,” one college coach added. “Long, athletic, versatile and can dribble, pass and shoot. I think his intensity and competitiveness will translate very smoothly to the next level.”
Flagg’s commitment immediately makes Duke the favorite to land the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation. The Blue Devils already had five-star wing Isaiah Evans (No. 8) and top-50 guards Conn Knuebel (No. 22) and Darren Harris (No. 45) in the fold, and five-star prospects V.J. Edgecombe (No. 5) and Pat Nkongpa (No. 19). All three commits and Edgecombe and Ngongpa visited Duke two weekends ago for the Countdown to Crazyness with Flacq.
In his first two rotations since being named Mike Krzyzewski’s successor, Scheier has been the No. He landed in the No. 1 and No. 2 recruiting classes.
