Flagg 4th freshman named AP Player of the Year

SAN ANTONIO -- Cooper Flagg and his Duke teammates were days distant from clinching a spot successful the Final Four, and the Blue Devils' freshman prima was readying ahead.

It wasn't astir thing connected the court, though. It was to beryllium acceptable the adjacent clip teammates Khaman Maluach and Patrick Ngongba broke retired h2o guns astatine the acold tubs.

"I'm decidedly ordering 1 arsenic well," Flagg said with a grin, a motion to the information that he's inactive "just being a kid."

Maybe so, but the the 18-year-old's crippled has been acold much precocious than his property from the opening extremity of his assemblage debut. Scoring. Rebounding. Setting up teammates arsenic a playmaker, past aiding them arsenic a defender. He did it each amid precocious expectations arsenic the imaginable No. 1 wide NBA draught prospect, the driving unit with a relentless competitory borderline and mature absorption for a squad present 2 wins from a nationalist championship.

It is wherefore Flagg was named The Associated Press men's assemblage hoops nationalist subordinate of the twelvemonth connected Friday, becoming lone the 4th freshman to triumph the grant successful its 64-year history.

The 6-foot-9, 205-pound guardant from Newport, Maine, won a two-man contention with Auburn prima Johni Broome. Both players were unanimous first-team AP All-Americans with teams astatine the Final Four, and they were the lone 2 to person player-of-the-year votes, Flagging 41 of the 61.

Flagg joins Duke's Zion Williamson (2019), Kentucky's Anthony Davis (2012) and Texas prima Kevin Durant (2007) arsenic freshman winners. Each went either No. 1 oregon No. 2 wide successful the NBA draught a fewer months later. Flagg is the eighth Duke subordinate to triumph the award, astir of immoderate program.

"He plays truthful hard, he's competitive, a large teammate," Duke manager Jon Scheyer said aft the Blue Devils' location finale, "and evidently his quality is special."

'High standard, precocious expectations' Flagg was conscionable 17 erstwhile helium arrived astatine Duke aft reclassifying to postgraduate aboriginal from precocious school. Yet helium has exceeded each hype arsenic the nation's top-ranked recruit, with Flagg starring Duke successful scoring (18.9 points per game), rebounding (7.5), assists (4.2) and steals (1.4) portion ranking 2nd successful blocks (1.3) entering Saturday's nationalist semifinal against Houston.

"I clasp myself to a precocious standard, precocious expectations," Flagg told the AP. "Just due to the fact that I cognize however overmuch enactment I've enactment successful and however galore hours I've spent grinding and putting that enactment in. ... It's those expectations of conscionable trusting what you bash and conscionable doing it to the highest level."

And helium repeatedly did that.

He scored an Atlantic Coast Conference freshman-record 42 points against Notre Dame. There was his highlight-reel modulation dunk against Pittsburgh. The large crippled to assistance the Blue Devils bushed Broome's Tigers, on with going for 30 points successful an NCAA Sweet 16 triumph against Arizona that Scheyer called "one of the champion tourney performances I've ever coached oregon been a portion of."

Cohesive play is the hallmark of this Blue Devils team, the lone 1 ranked successful KenPom's apical 5 for some adjusted violative and antiaircraft efficiency.

It has offered ways for Flagg to amended successful his archetypal and perchance lone assemblage play arsenic helium learned "the level of the details" required to thrive. It was ensuring helium got successful for pre-practice betterment sessions. Or listening erstwhile postgraduate transportation Mason Gillis and inferior Tyrese Proctor pushed the value of sleep, prompting Flagg to nix a high-school wont of late-night telephone scrolling.

"As acold arsenic extracurricular expectations, I couldn't truly attraction less," Flagg said. "For me, it's much astir pursuing the expectations of my teammates, my coaches, my family. Everybody's quality truthful I'm going to marque mistakes. I'm not going to beryllium astatine my champion each the time.

"But that's what having large teammates and large coaches does for you. They conscionable ever person my backmost and are ever determination for me."

Support wrong scope His mother, Kelly, astir envies however her lad handles that.

"I deliberation helium sees it but helium truly doesn't fto it fuss him," she told the AP. "And I privation I was much similar that. He's truthful comfy with who helium is, and he's ever been that way. That's wherefore helium doesn't get rattled easily, due to the fact that helium believes successful himself and it doesn't truly substance to him what different radical think.

"That's a peculiar quality to beryllium capable to drown retired the sound erstwhile the sound tin beryllium overwhelming astatine times for idiosyncratic similar him. I'm truly arrogant of him for being capable to bash that."

She and hubby Ralph person kept a adjacent oculus connected however he's been doing aft moving to North Carolina for this twelvemonth portion Ace, Cooper's duplicate brother, completes his last play of precocious schoolhouse hoops successful Greensboro, an hr away. Flagg said it helped to person household close, including erstwhile helium visited for a fewer days astir Christmas and got aggregate days successful the gym with his begetter and brothers.

"When you are capable to measurement backmost and conscionable instrumentality a break, it tin beryllium truly bully to conscionable get your caput wide and benignant of refocus," helium said.

It showed up connected the court, notably arsenic helium elevated his scoring (20.1 points, up from 16.9), assists (4.5, up from 3.7), shooting percent (51%, up from 43.8%) and 3-point percent (.434, up from 27.1) aft Jan. 1.

Indeed, Flagg seems wired for large moments erstwhile the stakes rise, thing his parent has seen going backmost to his childhood. There was his hatred of losing from aboriginal on, specified arsenic demanding to support playing aft losing successful a driveway crippled of H-O-R-S-E with Kelly - who played successful assemblage astatine Maine - oregon a committee crippled similar Trouble.

He ever wanted to beryllium archetypal to bash thing adjacent erstwhile it seemed a spot much, specified arsenic the household moving with eldest member Hunter to thrust a motorcycle without grooming wheels - lone to person the then-3 Cooper denote "I tin bash it, Momma" and backmost it up.

When it came to basketball, helium tested his parents' nerves by perpetually dribbling connected the hardwood floors astatine home. But occurrence came quickly, too, with whispers soon spreading astir Maine astir the prodigy playing up respective people levels.

"When helium was younger, if idiosyncratic stole the shot from him oregon helium turned it implicit oregon got fouled oregon did thing (wrong), we would accidental it was a 50/50 changeable whether helium was going to prime up a brainsick foul oregon helium was going to bash thing spectacular," Kelly said. "And arsenic he's gotten older, it was much the chances of thing truly bully was astir to happen."

Savoring this infinitesimal Flagg noted aggregate times however overmuch helium has enjoyed Duke. He has talked astir making connections and fitting successful with different students helium called "elite successful their ain respects."

That's offered a respite from the spotlight, adjacent arsenic he's featured successful ads and commercials arsenic a leading-man prima for assemblage hoops with players permitted to nett from their diversion fame. He is present utilized to requests for autographs and selfies, shrugging that "there could beryllium worse problems to have."

Flagg has avoided saying helium is making the expected leap to the NBA aft the season. For now, determination are much pressing things to woody with, from the Final Four to ordering that h2o gun.

"I person to," Flagg insisted. "What americium I going to do? I'm going to beryllium unarmed?"