Cooper Flagg joined Brandin Podziemski, Jabari Smith Jr., Jaime Jaquez Jr and others in the USA Select Team on Saturday in Las Vegas. They played against Team USA, who are preparing for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
At the training camp, Cooper Flagg was seen wearing WNBA player Sabrina Ionescu's 'Nike Sabrina 1' in the colorway that was released exclusively for college programs. Flagg opted for the Duke Women's Basketball version.
Cooper Flagg is the first collegiate player to join the national training camp since Doug McDermott and Marcus Smart did it in 2013. Despite it being his first time, Flagg showed that he fit right in with the pro league players. The Team USA Select coach Jamahl Mosley noted:
"I hadn't been around him, so just meeting him and talking to him the first day in practice the other day, you can just see the quiet confidence that he carries with himself. His ability to know what he's capable of doing, but also the humility of knowing, 'OK, I'm still trying to figure some of these things out at this level,' but he's not afraid of it." (via ESPN)
"[He has a] high basketball IQ, tough, willing to learn. He gets to the spots that he needs to for a shot a lot, able to get to the rim, great touch on his shot. I mean, he can play. There's no in between. There's me saying, in many different forms, he can just flat out play."
Right after the camp, which ends on Monday, Flagg will be heading back to Durham where he will join Coach Jon Scheyer's squad in their preparations for the upcoming season.
Cooper Flagg all set for a highly anticipated college debut
As the No. 1 ranked prospect, Cooper Flagg has drawn much attention to himself and the Duke Blue Devils. After an Elite Eight exit last season, the expectations are high on the team after their roster upheaval.
In his senior year at Montverde Academy, Cooper Flagg averaged 16.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.7 blocks per contest. He was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year after he led his team to a perfect 30-0 record.
Apart from fans, even former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski seems excited at the prospect of Flagg at the Cameron Indoor Stadium.
“I heard someone compare Cooper Flagg to a young Andrei Kirilenko over the summer," Coach K said. "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.”
With his skills, it is expected that Cooper Flagg will declare for the 2025 NBA draft where is predicted to go No. 1.
What do you think of Cooper Flagg's skills? Let us know in the comment section below.
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