Duke Commit Cooper Flagg Wins Major Award

No. 1 high school player of the year and future Duke star Cooper Flagg is adding to his already impressive resume before he turns 18. The consensus best prospect in the country out of Montverde Academy just won the Gatorade National Player of the Year award.

Cooper Flagg is headlining the best recruiting class in the country, along with top international prospect Khaman Maluach. The Duke commit is projected to be the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, barring a major surprise.

The Maine native is already receiving support from his fellow Blue Devils. Paolo Banchero, the Rookie of the Year last season, surprised Flagg in his award ceremony.

"My main advice to him is just to take everything one step at a time. Obviously he's in high school right now and needs to finish off his season and after that he's going to be at Duke and just take all that in and enjoy it because that freshman year, there's nothing like it. You learn so much and grow as a player."

- Banchero on Flagg via Yahoo! Sports

Winners of the Gatorade Player of the Year award have generally gone onto having successful NBA careers. The previous winners include the likes of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, and Kevin Love. Recently, fellow Duke standouts Jabari Parker, Jayson Tatum, and RJ Barrett have won the award.

Considering how Flagg doesn't turn 18 for another nine months, the sky is the limit for the young man. Duke fans will have an absolute blast watching him next season.

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