First Look Emerges of Cooper Flagg on USA Men's Select Basketball Team
![Mar 9, 2024; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils commits Patrick Ngongba (left) and Cooper Flagg look on prior to a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports Mar 9, 2024; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils commits Patrick Ngongba (left) and Cooper Flagg look on prior to a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4056,h_2281,x_0,y_117/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/256/01j2a1nqrwsv5mkajxec.jpg)
It’s pretty rare for a player to compete with some of the best basketball players on the planet before playing in their first college game.
But that’s exactly the kind of seasoning Cooper Flagg is getting this summer, and our first look at him in action showed how helpful it can be, and how impressive he already is.
Cooper Flagg Recovers From Blocked Shot to Finish With a Dunk
Cooper Flagg recovers for the slam 💪
— NBA Future Starts Now (@nbafuturenow) July 7, 2024
Select Team vs. National Team Scrimmage 🍿 pic.twitter.com/IXbb9vDrgK
In this clip of Flagg we see his jumper get blocked by Lakers star Anthony Davis, and there’s no shame in that.
But he wasn’t fazed by the rejection.
After quickly collecting the ball, Flagg found Warriors player Brandin Podziemski at the top of the key, who fed it back to Flagg with a no-look pass to the baseline.
Flagg finished off the play by rising up for a nonchalant two-handed slam dunk.
It’s just one play, but it says a lot about how valuable this summer can be for Flagg.
First of all, being the only collegiate player for the USA Men’s Basketball Select Team – the squad that practices against the Olympic team – is impressive in its own right.
Team USA Roster | NBA Team |
---|---|
Bam Adebayo | Miami Heat |
Devin Booker | Phoenix Suns |
Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors |
Anthony Davis | LA Lakers |
Kevin Durant | Phoenix Suns |
Anthony Edwards | Minnesota Timberwolves |
Joel Embiid | Philadelphia 76ers |
Tyrese Haliburton | Indiana Pacers |
Jrue Holiday | Boston Celtics |
LeBron James | LA Lakers |
Kawhi Leonard | LA Clippers |
Jayson Tatum | Boston Celtics |
But this taste of elite level talent is surely going to prepare him for playing at Duke.
This glimpse of the action shows how poised he already is at just 17-years-old.
Duke commit Cooper Flagg has taken over USA Basketball scrimmage: hits a three and then finishes a tough putback pic.twitter.com/SB3Y4fDpYt
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) July 8, 2024
"I was pretty surprised just because it's not like a normal thing," Flagg told ESPN Sunday, after scrimmaging against the star-studded men's national team for the first time. "So I was definitely really honored and just excited that I had this opportunity.
"If you think about it, you're able to learn from ... if you look at their team, it's nobody better. So it's just being come out here and learn, this is a great experience and I'm really just humbled and I'm really grateful and blessed that I was selected."
It’ll be exciting to see how Flagg continues to grow in his young basketball career.
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