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Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer drops eye-opening Cooper Flagg scouting report

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated 5/15/24

The Duke basketball program looks like one of the best for the upcoming 2024-2025 season. Adding in players such as Cooper Flagg is a big reason why, not to mention players like Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor returning for another season.

Flagg joining the Blue Devils strengthened a talented recruiting class. During ACC Spring meetings, head coach Jon Scheyer spoke about what Flagg brings to the table and what he is looking forward to (h/t ACC Network).

“Cooper, it’s been a joy to watch him play in high school…No matter when I’ve seen him, he always plays the same way. He always competes, 100% effort. And I think that’s a separator…To me, it’s how he competes and who he is as a teammate.”

“He always competes, 100% effort, and I think that’s a separator.”

Jon Scheyer on Cooper Flagg and @DukeMBB’s No. 1 ranked recruiting class pic.twitter.com/2xN5al2MD9

— ACC Network (@accnetwork) May 15, 2024

Flagg certainly made headlines last Summer during a series of events and had plenty of programs trying to land him. Ultimately, he chose the Duke basketball program over UConn and others. As a result, Duke is projected as an easy top-5 team next season and Flagg is widely considered as the top overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Cooper Flagg highlights loaded Duke basketball recruiting class

Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

As if landing Cooper Flagg isn’t good enough, the Duke basketball program has the top-ranked recruiting class per 247Sports. The Blue Devils are also bringing in Isaiah Evans, Kon Knueppel, and Darren Harris as well as a massive commitment from 7-foot-2 center Khaman Maluach.

So, all in all, the Blue Devils recruiting class is easily the best in the country and Flagg is widely regarded as the top player coming into college basketball next season. Coming into his freshman year, all the hype will be on him with plenty of fans and scouts trying to see him in action.

In 2023-2024, Duke made a run to the Elite Eight before falling to ACC rival NC State, whose Cinderella run ended in the Final Four against UConn.

Scheyer spent his entire coaching career with Duke before taking over following the retirement of Mike Krzyzewski. Since then, Scheyer has compiled a 54-18 record and still finds ways to land blue-chip prospects to come to play at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Speaking of Coach K, he spoke strongly about the addition of Flagg: “I heard someone compare Cooper Flagg to a young Andrei Kirilenko over the summer. I watched Andrei when he was 16 years old, and I think that is a spot-on comparison. The difference in my view is that Cooper’s offensive skill set is much further along at the same stage.”

If Flagg can be anywhere near as good as Kirilenko, this will be a massive addition to the Duke basketball program. The expectations for him and Duke are high for next season, but there is a ton of talent on the roster even with some roster changes.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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