Since Zion Williamson, Cooper Flagg has been Duke’s most highly anticipated basketball prospect. With a five-star rating as a power forward and a reputation as the nation’s best recruit overall, the 6-foot-9 sensation from the storied Montverde Academy has enormous expectations. The problem is that Jon Scheyer, the head coach of Duke, has seen a lot of elite recruits over his tenure. Although he has just been Duke’s head coach for the past two seasons, he spent years supporting Mike Krzyzewski on the bench prior to his advancement. Recall that Scheyer used to be a top recruit as well. He was a McDonald’s All-American and the 2006 Illinois Mr. Basketball.
What distinguishes Flagg from the others, then?
For Scheyer, competition is everything. Whenever I’ve seen Cooper play in high school, it has always been a pleasure to see. if, following a few days of gaming, it is Sunday morning at 8:00 AM. Scheyer told the ACC Network (via On3), “Whether it’s watching him play on ESPN, in the national championship game this year.” “This is how he plays every time. He competes constantly. wholehearted effort. That seems to be a separator, too. His athleticism, talent, stature, and skill are all off the charts, as you can see. However, it seems to me that’s his style of competition. and his character as a colleague.”
In sports, the adage “it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog” refers to what counts during a match. This implies that even if your opponent is bigger and stronger than you, you will lose if they have greater heart. But what about a guy like Flagg, who appears to be utterly dedicated to being the best and possesses all the physical talent in the world? He is, in fact, universally regarded as the best player on the team for a reason. It will now be up to us to see if those expectations materialize into instantaneous, significant success at Duke.