"He has the potential to be one of the best": Coach K excited about Cooper Flagg's Duke debut but urges caution on overhype

Former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski expressed excitement about the much-awaited college basketball debut of top freshman recruit Cooper Flagg. However, the gold-medal-winning bench tactician of the US men's basketball team cautioned against overhyping the young prospect to ease the pressure surrounding him.

In an interview with ESPN's Dawn Davenport during the Duke-UNC college football game at the Wallace Wade Stadium, Krzyzewski was asked about Flagg's potential to shine in his debut with the team this season.

The legendary coach spoke positively about the consensus top freshman and future 2025 NBA draft No. 1 pick but urged the media to tamp down on the hype surrounding the player.

"He still has to do. I think he will. He has the potential to be one of the best. I don’t want to put that pressure on him," Krzyzewski, who guided the Blue Devils men's basketball team to five national championships in 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010 and 2015 and 13 Final Four berths, said.

"We shouldn’t be talking about Cooper, we should be talking about our team. If this was Cooper talking, Cooper would say that, because he’s a very humble young man," he added.

Krzyzewski was pumped up for the current lineup a month before its first regular season game against Maine on Nov. 4. Flagg leads the six-player recruiting class alongside Khaman Maluach, Kon Kneuppel, Isaiah Evans, Darren Harris and Patrick Ngongba.

They also acquired four players from the transfer portal — Syracuse’s Maliq Brown, Purdue’s Mason Gillis, Tulane’s Sion James and Rice’s Cameron Sheffield. The team still has returning stars Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor in the lineup, making the team one of the title favorites for the 2024-25 college basketball season.

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Coach K keeps the faith in current Duke coach Jon Scheyer

Duke coach Jon Scheyer (Image Source: IMAGN)

Mike Krzyzewski also spoke about Duke coach Jon Scheyer and told Dawn Davenport that Scheyer is doing well with the team.

“We have a chance to be really good. Jon Scheyer’s done a great, great job. I was at practice today. Very excited. I’m very excited for him and his guys,” the five-time champion coach said.

In his first two seasons with the team, Scheyer is 54-18 and has guided the Blue Devils to consecutive NCAA Tournaments. Last season, Duke reached the Elite Eight, beating Vermont, James Madison and Houston before losing to NC State.

Scheyer will spearhead the star-studded squad in their quest to win their sixth national title and first since 2015. A result lower than the national championship would be a disappointment, considering the hype surrounding the six high school prospects led by Cooper Flagg.