Long before he set foot on a college basketball court, NBA scouts already talked about Cooper Flagg as the new big American hope. He could’ve sat out his freshman season at Duke, and he would’ve still been the No. 1 pick.
The Maine native went viral in high school because of his two-way dominance, and holding his own against NBA stars in a Team USA scrimmage may have sealed his fate.
Nevertheless, Flagg has always stood out. In a recent interview, his former coach, Andy Bedard, gushed about how, even as a third-grader, he already looked like a man among children.
Cooper Flagg was ahead of his time
“Some kids that age, they can’t walk and chew gum,” Bedard told Sports Illustrated. “Cooper’s doing left-handed flip layups, 45-degree angles. He was so coordinated. And if a teammate missed, he’d grab the rebound and let them shoot it again. He could dominate. He did dominate. But he played the right way.”
Cooper Flagg
Flagg was fortunate enough to watch his body grow as much as his basketball IQ, and he continued to dominate at all levels. Now, he’s just days away from becoming an NBA player.
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And while a lot has transpired from those days playing youth basketball, the very same traits that made him such a different player back then could help him become the next big thing in the NBA.
