Before Cooper Flagg was the No. 1 draft pick by the Dallas Mavericks, he was a freshman sensation at Duke. In doing so, he made an indelible impression on everyone he played with and for.
That includes his former coach Jon Scheyer. On Friday, Scheyer spoke about his feelings on Flagg and how he impacted his approach to coaching, per Daniel Hager of On3.com.
“I think the biggest thing that I’ve learned is to not skip steps and not go backwards with how you can approach this thing,” Scheyer said. “Because so much now is thrown at anybody we’re recruiting right now. They’ve had opportunities for money. They’ve had opportunities for brand deals, promotions, you name it. And I thought that group did a tremendous job, and Cooper was the prime example of keeping the main thing the main thing. And knowing if you do it the right way, if you knock it out of the park at Duke, not only is the financial aspect gonna be there for your life but you’re gonna be in a better position.”
During his stint at Duke, Flagg was a virtual sensation with professional prospects right from the jump. He averaged 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. In addition, he helped lead the Blue Devils to the Final Four before losing to Houston 70-67.
Beyond the numbers, Flagg cultivated a stature beyond his 18 years. He became the ACC Player of the Year, ACC Rookie of the Year, and Naismith Player of the Year.
In essence, Flagg solidified his status among other Duke greats such as Christian Laettner, Grant Hill, JJ Reddick, and Zion Williamson.
Along the way, he made life easy for Scheyer in his third full year as head coach. His impact was so significant that Scheyer predicted Flagg would be a good fit for the Mavericks.
