CooperFlagg

Cooper Flagg was a well-known name before he arrived on the high school scene, but he became the first-ever freshman to be selected as Maine's Gatorade Player of the Year. He averaged 20.5 points, 10 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 3.7 steals and 3.7 blocks for Nokomis Regional. He transferred to basketball powerhouse Montverde Academy in Florida after his freshman season. Flagg was named the MVP of the 2023 Hoophall Classic after scoring 21 points with five steals, five rebounds and three assists in Montverde's 85-63 victory over La Lumiere Academy. Flagg would go on to be named a semifinalist for the Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award. Flagg averaged 9.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and three assists per game in his first season at Montverde, which firmly established him as the consensus No. 1 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class. Flagg is also a standout on the international stage. In 2022, Flagg was named USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year after his performance at the U17 World Cup. He was the youngest player to ever win the award. "I’m not sure there are any one-to-one comps for him. I think the way he protects the rim from the weak side changes any comps I could throw out there," NBA draft expert Nathan Grubel said. "His block numbers are outrageous. I’d say he could become a very strong mix of Gordon Hayward and Andrei Kirilenko." Flagg's mother, Kelly, played basketball at Maine. He has a twin brother, Ace, who also plays basketball.