"Worst POTY ever?" "The next LeBron": College hoops fans debate as Cooper Flagg secures AP Player of the Year award

NCAA Basketball: Final Four-Press Conference - Source: Imagn

Cooper Flagg added another accolade to his remarkable freshman season, winning the AP men’s college basketball player of the year award on Friday. He became the fourth freshman to earn the honor, joining Kevin Durant (2007), Anthony Davis (2012), and Zion Williamson (2019).

Flagg secured 41 of 61 votes, beating Auburn's Johni Broome, the only other contender to receive votes for the award.

Bleacher Report shared a post on X, which drew mixed reactions from college basketball fans.

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Some fans were in agreement that Flagg deserved to win the award.

“The next LeBron,” a fan wrote

“Well deserved. Bro has been ballin,” another user wrote

“He is cold. One of the best hoopers I’ve seen in some time, very polished game too,” a user analysed Flagg’s game.

“Well deserved! Can take control of games when needed but also play the support role when it makes sense,” another fan wrote.

However, there were others who were not on board with AP's choice.

“Worst POTY ever?" a fan asked.

"And he’s nowhere near them two," another user wrote.

"That’s not impressive stats lol," one wrote.

Flagg became the eighth player in Duke’s history to win the award, making it the most any program has won. He has had a stellar freshman year, leading No. 1 Duke in points per game (18.9), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.2) and steals (1.4).

Flagg is projected to be the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. When looking at other freshmen who won this award, they were either the first or second overall pick in the draft shortly after.

Cooper Flagg talks about expectations and standard

After picking up the award, Cooper Flagg shared why he performed at this level.

“I hold myself to a high standard, high expectations,” he told the AP. “Just because I know how much work I’ve put in and how many hours I’ve spent grinding and putting that work in.”

Flagg will look to lead his team to the NCAA Tournament final when they take on Houston Cougars in the Final Four on Saturday.

About the author

Babatunde Kolawole is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over eight years of experience in the field with Canoncrested.com, Garbersports.com, LiveScore Bet Nigeria and Pulse Sports Nigeria.

Kolawole studied Agricultural Economics on the tertiary level but delved into sports writing after school. Over half a decade later, the experience garnered helped him land this role.

Historically, the Alabama Crimson Tide stands out as Kolawole's favorite team as he was drawn to their rich history.

As for basketball, JuJu Watkins is Kolawole's favorite current player due to how much diversity she has in her game, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gets the nod for past players because of how he dominated with UCLA.

Kolawole has appeared on several TV and Radio shows as a guest analyst, and in his spare time, likes to watch movies (a sucker for the Marvel Cinematic Universe) and listen to a lot of music. He also loves to travel.

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Edited by Ribin Peter