Or, at least that’s how Duke’s early-season loss to Kentucky was digested by much of the basketball world. Cooper scored 26 points and gobbled 11 rebounds in his first marquee, primetime game. He also turned the ball over twice in the final minute, including with 26 seconds left in a tie game. “Everyone was killing him,” Carrawell says. “His first big game, everybody watching, he had 26 (points) and 11 (rebounds) — but the turnover, that’s all anybody talked about.” Still: At 17, Cooper was the only Duke player to speak to reporters after that game. Scheyer didn’t prod him to attend the news conference; Cooper understood it as one of his responsibilities. “That’s part of growing up,” Scheyer said. “He’s really hard on himself, and unfortunately, I think in order to be great, you have to be that way somewhat.”