CBB

NCAAB News: Cooper Flagg reveals the main reason he joined the Duke Blue Devils

NCAA Tournament star Cooper Flagg spoke out about one of the key factors that led him to join the Duke Blue Devils over other programs.

March 23, 2025 11:30AM EDT

**© Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images**Cooper Flagg #2 of the Duke Blue Devils runs down the court during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers at Lenovo Center on March 21, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Undoubtedly, Cooper Flagg’s presence in College Basketball has skyrocketed this season, thanks to his exceptional skills on the court. His decision to join the Duke Blue Devils had one key factor behind it, a standout figure who distinguished from the rest of the programs to secure the NCAA jewel.

The figure in question is the team’s head coach, Jon Scheyer, who managed to stand out above the rest when it came to convincing Flagg to join the Blue Devils for this season.

In a recent conversation with the media, Flagg finally revealed the main reason behind his decision to start his college career at Duke, rather than at other programs that were also trying to recruit him.

“He comes from not telling me what I want to hear,” Flagg said, per Josh Graham vis his official X account (Formerly Twitter) @JoshGrahamShow. “Some of the things that I was looking for in a coach that wasn’t just going to tell me what I wanted to hear,” he also added.

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“…My parents and my AAU coach they definitely wouldn’t let me get too full of myself. I think that’s what I look for in a coach. Tough love and honesty. I think it just comes from that,” Flagg continued. “He watched a lot of my games, and we would talk after some of them. Telling me what he (Scheyer) saw, rather than what I wanted to hear.”

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Duke, the team to beat

After their dominant win in the March Madness debut against Mount St. Mary’s, the Blue Devils have undoubtedly become the team to beat. With Cooper Flagg’s return to the court, Jon Scheyer’s squad is emerging as one of the serious title contenders.

Following an excellent regular-season campaign, Duke doesn’t want to leave anything to chance in these stages and aims to dethrone the UConn Huskies to become the new champions of College Basketball.

It will be a matter of seeing how far Scheyer and his players will go, as they didn’t make it this far to be mere supporting actors; they want to be the new main characters in this story.

Matías Persuh

Matias Persuh is a sports journalist and writer who began his career after graduating with a bachelor's degree in Sports Journalism in 2008. Over the years, he has covered numerous events, including local soccer games, and has conducted interviews with players and coaches. In addition to his writing, Matias has contributed as a columnist on various radio shows. Joining Bolavip US in July 2024 marked a significant step forward in his career, allowing him to continue developing his skills and delivering resonant news and reports to the audience.