Throughout the course of their history, the Duke Blue Devils have had their fair share of superstars. They’ve had some of the best players to ever lace them up in college basketball.
That’s why it wasn’t much of a surprise to see them land Cooper Flagg, who had been penciled in as the best recruit in his class long before he was even old enough to go to prom.
That sentiment hasn’t changed during his first — and most likely only — season in college. If anything, he continues to be the leading candidate to win the prestigious John R. Wooden Award, which is given to the best player in the nation.
Cooper Flagg leads race for Wooden Award
“Duke’s Cooper Flagg continues to be the odds-on-favorite to win the John R. Wooden Award this season with Auburn’s Johni Broome right behind him but it appears to be a two-man race at this point with Purdue’s Braden Smith, Alabama’s Mark Sears. Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner and Memphis’ PJ Haggerty trailing,” reported Arash Markazi of The Sporting Tribune.
The Blue Devils star is also the odds-on favorite to be the first-overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and that has been the case long before he made his debut at Duke.
So far, the Montverde Academy product has posted impressive averages of 19.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game on almost 48% from the floor, and he’s leading his team in all major stats.