9 stories reflect on Cooper Flagg’s incredible Duke basketball journey
“Cooper Flagg’s freshman season at Duke wasn’t just basketball — it was a rollercoaster of stardom, setbacks, and unforgettable moments. From a frightening eye injury that nearly sidelined his career to becoming a national sensation in commercials and highlight reels, Flagg’s one-year college stint had it all. These 9 stories dive deep into the heart-pounding highs, the painful lows, and the jaw-dropping plays that made his Blue Devil journey one for the history books.
This collection of reporting explores Cooper Flagg’s year at Duke, tracing his path from early injuries to tournament endings. Stories cover moments like Flagg working through a blurred vision injury against Florida State, missing much of the ACC Tournament with an ankle sprain, and being central in Duke’s collapse against Houston in the Final Four. The coverage highlights his farewell at Cameron Indoor Stadium and tracks his rapid stardom both on and off the court, including prominent national TV commercials and his eventual decision to enter the NBA Draft. Accounts also revisit Flagg’s Maine basketball days, detailing his early impact before he reached national attention.
NO. 1: BLURRED VISION LEFT COOPER FLAGG “SCARED.” HOW THE DUKE BASKETBALL STAR OVERCAME THE INJURY
A national player of the year candidate and the projected No. 1 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg was twice hit in the face and did not finish the first half against Florida State. |
In a season where Jon Scheyer has witnessed so many wonderful things from Cooper Flagg, the Duke basketball coach saw something different, and ominous, from the freshman Saturday night. “I’ve never seen him look scared,” Scheyer said after Flagg left Duke’s 100-65 win over Florida State in the first half with an eye injury that blurred his vision. “I thought he was scared at first. You don’t know how serious. Is it permanent?” As it turned out, the hit to the face Flagg absorbed from FSU 7-footer Alier Maluk only temporarily knocked him from the game. After playing only seven minutes in the first half, Flagg was cleared to return by Duke eye specialists, Dr. C. Ellis Wisely (ophthalmologist) and Dr. Mark Newman (optometrist). He scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half of No. 2 Duke’s blowout win. “We have an amazing setup,” Scheyer said. “Our medical team did a great job. Our eye doctor, who handles everything for the team, was here and saw him right away. Fortunately, it wasn’t anything with his eye itself. It was his eyelid. He got bruised, basically.”
Still, it caused plenty of nervous moments given Flagg, a preseason all-American, is the projected No. 1 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft. It was also unnerving for Scheyer, who saw his brief professional playing career cut short in summer 2010 after he was poked in the eye during an NBA Summer League game and suffered permanent damage. So learning Flagg’s vision was not permanently altered eased his mind.
I was really relieved when the medical team shared the news,” Scheyer said, “because I was really nervous about him.” Flagg was not available for comment after the game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. After being cut near his nose and receiving medical treatment earlier in the first half, the 6-9 forward walked wobbly off the court with 11:27 to play in the first half after Maluk’s hand dragged across Flagg’s face while Maluk attempted to block a shot.
Game officials looked at instant replay after Maluk hit Flagg to determine if additional discipline was warranted but did not elevate the original common foul call. Leaving the court with Duke athletics trainer Jose Fonseca and teammate Mason Gillis, Flagg momentarily placed his hand on Gillis’ back to steady himself. After a few minutes on the bench, he walked with the medical staff out of Cameron Indoor Stadium’s playing arena.
He returned to the bench a few minutes later, left to receive more medical attention, but returned again.
Flagg’s parents, Ralph and Kelly Flagg, sat behind the Duke bench. During a timeout, Kelly Flagg left the playing area with Fonseca but later returned to sit next to her husband. Duke led Florida State, 47-30, at halftime of their ACC game with Flagg scoring four points with three rebounds and two assists. Flagg, who leads Duke in scoring (19.4 points) and rebounding (7.6), finished the game with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Flagg’s injury proved far less severe, in the end, though it caused plenty of uneasiness. “He was beat up and scratched up,” Duke graduate student forward Sion James said. “But Coop is one of the toughest guys I’ve ever played with. I trusted that if he could be back, he’d be back in there.”
NO. 2: COOPER FLAGG’S ‘FRESHMAN NIGHT’ CAMERON FAREWELL HINTS AT WHAT MAY BE STILL TO COME
Cooper Flagg’s stat line in Monday’s 93-60 win over Wake Forest was impressive enough: 28 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, three blocks, two steals. It barely scratched the surface of his impact.
NO. 3: THERE WAS ALWAYS MORE TO DUKE THAN COOPER FLAGG, BUT NOW THE BLUE DEVILS HAVE PROVEN IT With their freshman star in foul trouble, it took everyone and everything else the Blue Devils had to hold off the Tar Heels, 82-69, and clinch the No. 1 seed in the ACC tournament.
NO. 4: LET COOPER FLAGG UP THE LADDER TO CUT DOWN THE NET IF DUKE WINS … BUT WIN IT WITHOUT HIM After Cooper Flagg’s gruesome-looking ankle injury Thursday against Georgia Tech, Duke needs to put its freshman star in bubble wrap until the NCAA tournament.
NO. 5: ‘THE RIGHT TEAM. THE RIGHT COACH.’ WHY DUKE BASKETBALL HAS BEEN ALL COOPER FLAGG HOPED Already an ACC champion, a consensus all-American and national player of the year, Cooper Flagg chases an NCAA championship before heading to NBA as the likely No. 1 pick |
NO. 6: EARLY DOMINANCE: AN ORAL HISTORY OF DUKE STAR COOPER FLAGG’S RISE TO PROMINENCE IN MAINE We all know how good Cooper Flagg is at basketball now. But how good was the Duke star as a freshman … in high school?
NO. 7: SELLING COOPER FLAGG, DUKE’S VERY MODEL OF A MODERN COLLEGE BASKETBALL SUPERSTAR For decades, college athletes had to not only refuse commercial opportunities but pretend they didn’t exist. Now, everyone can cash in, but no basketball player has cashed in like Duke’s Cooper Flagg.
NO. 8: GONE IN 60 SECONDS: DUKE’S COLLAPSE BRINGS THE COOPER FLAGG SEASON TO A SHOCKING END Up six in the final minute, Duke let the lead and a chance to play for a national title slip away as Cooper Flagg’s last shot comes up short
NO. 9: COOPER FLAGG LED DUKE TO AN ACC TITLE AND THE FINAL FOUR. THE NBA IS NEXT National player of the year Cooper Flagg, who led Duke to the ACC championship and Final Four as a freshman, enters the NBA Draft and is expected to be the top pick.
