In a room full of NBA superstars on Monday, it was a boy fresh out of high school who commanded all the attention during a practice for the U.S. Olympic basketball team.
The 17-year-old Cooper Flagg showed his skills against some of the best defenders in the NBA including Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday and Bam Adebayo to name a few. It was a stunning performance that made all the headlines.
The rising Duke freshman was part of the select team invited to train against the Olympic squad during their training camp and Flagg already looked like he belonged.
“The opportunity was amazing,” Flagg said. “It was a blessing to be here.
“I think just the physical side and the level I want to get to, there’s a lot I can get better at, a lot I need to keep improving on. This showed how big the details are.”
The star of Team USA Basketball’s Olympic practice on Monday was Cooper Flagg
Flagg, a rising freshman at Duke, defeated players like NBA champion Jrue Holiday (R)
He’ll get better, I’m sure. That might be a scary thought.
“He’s done a great job here,” said Jamahl Mosley, coach of the Orlando Magic’s U.S. national team.
“There’s a respect factor for what he’s done. People who haven’t seen him play, they quickly see what he can do when he gets himself going in the game.”
The selection team is typically made up of young NBA players who are recruited to play games for the national team and help them prepare for the World Cup or the Olympic Games.
Flagg was the first college player to be asked to make the draft since Doug McDermott and Marcus Smart were asked to attend a mini-camp in 2013.
But those situations were far from the same when Flagg was part of this camp. McDermott had played 110 college games for Creighton at the time and was a two-time consensus All-American.
Smart was coming off a freshman season when he won Big 12 rookie of the year and player of the year honors at Oklahoma State. They were already proven.
Flagg has zero college credits. He still has plenty to prove in this camp.
Cooper Flagg (31) dunks Miami Heat defender and star player Bam Adebayo (13)
Flagg said he was “very excited about this opportunity,” adding: “It’s been a blessing to be here.”
“He wants it,” U.S. guard Devin Booker said. “I know he’s going to take this experience and move on.”
During Monday’s practice match – the Olympic team defeated the national team 74-73 – Flagg was in good shape in the final stages and appeared completely at ease.
And when it was over, there were still plenty of pictures taken with everyone. The last day of the selection team in training camp was Monday, but some may be invited to stay and continue to support the Olympic selection.
“To be able to do what he did, not even playing a college game, let alone an NBA game, there’s no fear,” said Select Team forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Heat. “It’s relentless. And what you can see about him is he just has the talent and the will to win.
“He doesn’t need the ball. He just finds a way to it. And the ball finds its way to him. That’s something you can’t teach. He just has a great feel for the game.”
Flagg is a 6-foot-1 forward from Newport, Maine, but played his final three years of high school basketball at Montverde Academy in Florida.
Flagg (31) shakes hands with USA Basketball head coach Steve Kerr after practice
Three generations of Duke Basketball players (left to right): Jayson Tatum, Grant Hill and Flagg
He chose Duke over Connecticut, was named USA Basketball’s 2022 male athlete of the year after leading the Americans to gold at the Under-17 World Championships, and was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year, Naismith Player of the Year and a McDonald’s All-American in his senior season of high school.
“I was shocked, I was surprised, and I was really excited about this opportunity,” Flagg said. “And I’m just really blessed that I was able to come here and take advantage of it and show what I have. I was really grateful that I was able to come here and learn.”
“That was the biggest thing for me, just being able to learn and grow, sharing a gym with all these amazing names. Legends. So I’m really blessed.”