Cooper Flagg

Cooper Flagg (born December 21, 2006) is an American basketball player who currently attends Montverde Academy.

Cooper Flagg
No. 32 – Montverde Academy Eagles
PositionSmall forward
Personal information
Born (2006-12-21) December 21, 2006
Newport, Maine, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup
Gold medal – first place2022 SpainTeam

Early life and high school

Flagg grew up in Newport, Maine, and initially attended Nokomis Regional High School.[1] He became the first freshman to be named the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 20.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 3.7 steals, and 3.7 blocks per game.[2] Nokomis won the Class A state championship with Flagg scoring 22 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in a 43–27 win against Falmouth High School in the state final.[3]

Flagg transferred to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, at the end of his freshman year of high school.[4] Prior to the beginning of his first year at the school, he played in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League for the Florida Eagles, an Amateur Athletic Union team affiliated with Montverde.[5][6] Flagg was named the MVP of the 2023 Hoophall Classic after scoring 21 points with 5 steals, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in Montverde's 85–63 victory over La Lumiere Academy.[7] He also was named a semifinalist for the Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award.[8] Flagg averaged 9.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game in his first season at Montverde.[9]

Recruiting

Flagg was ranked the third-best prospect in the 2025 recruiting class following the conclusion of his freshman season.[10][11] He re-ranked as the class's second-best recruit in August 2022 following his performance in the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup.[12] Flagg received his first NCAA Division I scholarship offer from Bryant University while in the eighth grade.[13] He reclassified to the class of 2024 during the summer after his sophomore year.[14] He is currently the highest rated recruit in the United States.[15]

National team

Flagg played for the United States under-17 basketball team at the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup.[16] He was named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 9.3 points, 10 rebounds, 2.9 blocked shots, and 2.4 steals per game as the United States won the gold medal.[17] Flagg scored 10 points with 17 rebounds, eight steals, and four blocked shots in a 79–67 win over Spain in the final.[18] He was named the 2022 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year for his performance in the Under-17 World Cup and is the youngest player to win the award.[19][20]

Personal life

Flagg's mother, Kelly, played college basketball at Maine where she was a team captain as a senior.[21][22] His father, Ralph, played NJCAA basketball at Eastern Maine Community College.[23] Flagg has a twin brother, Ace, who was a teammate at Nokomis and transferred to Montverde.[24] Flagg's older brother Hunter was also a Nokomis basketball player and was a senior when the former was a freshman.[25]

References
  1. Levinsky, Greg (July 6, 2022). "A 6–8 freshman from Maine is the nation's third-ranked basketball prospect in the Class of 2025". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  2. "Cooper Flagg named Gatorade Maine boys basketball player of the year". The Portland Press Herald. March 16, 2022. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  3. Craig, Steve (March 5, 2022). "Boys' basketball: Cooper Flagg leads Nokomis to its first state championship". The Portland Press Herald. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  4. Bonifant, Drew (March 29, 2022). "Twins Cooper, Ace Flagg to leave Nokomis High for Florida prep school". Kennebec Journal. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  5. Jordan, Jason (July 21, 2022). "Flagg Pushing Past the Top Spot at Nike Peach Jam". SI.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  6. Bonifant, Drew (March 15, 2022). "Nokomis freshmen Ace and Cooper Flagg to compete in nationally renowned basketball league". Kennebec Journal. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  7. Nutter, Greg (January 14, 2023). "Montverde Academy's Cooper Flagg proud to represent Maine at Hoophall Classic: 'It's a great feeling". MassLive.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  8. "Maine high school basketball star up for top national award". WABI.tv. February 3, 2023. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  9. Bass, Tobias (August 11, 2023). "Cooper Flagg, top NBA Draft prospect, reclassifies to Class of 2024: How it impacts draft expectations". The Athletic. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  10. Clark, Ernie (April 21, 2022). "Cooper Flagg ranked No. 3 high school freshman basketball player in the country by ESPN". Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  11. Roberts, Ben (July 24, 2022). "Cooper Flagg and top Kentucky basketball recruiting links". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  12. Robinson, Adam (June 23, 2022). "ESPN's Fran Fraschilla says Cooper Flagg is 'possibly on the verge of stardom'". Sun Journal. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  13. Clark, Ernie (August 3, 2021). "A 6-foot-7 Newport basketball star has a college scholarship offer. He just finished 8th grade". Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  14. Borzello, Jeff (August 11, 2023). "Cooper Flagg reclassifies, could be top 2025 NBA pick". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  15. "Cooper Flagg, Montverde Academy , Power Forward". 247Sports. Archived from the original on 2022-05-15. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
  16. Givony, Jonathan (July 19, 2022). "Cooper Flagg's rise, D.J. Wagner's struggles and other takeaways from FIBA U17s". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  17. Mandell, Mike (July 13, 2022). "Sidelines: After striking gold with U17 national basketball team, Cooper Flagg receives warm homecoming". Kennebec Journal. Archived from the original on November 14, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  18. "Sports Digest: Flagg finishes just shy of triple-double as U.S. wins U17 Basketball World Cup". The Portland Press Herald. July 10, 2022. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  19. Robinson, Adam (December 21, 2022). "Cooper Flagg named USA Basketball's Male Athlete of the Year". Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  20. Giles, Matt (December 23, 2022). "Five-star Duke basketball recruiting target wins huge national honor". SI.com. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  21. Kahn, Andrew (April 29, 2022). "Michigan basketball offers scholarship to a top high school freshman". MLive.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  22. Robinson, Adam (November 16, 2022). "Cooper Flagg's mom gives her son basketball tips over Twitter". Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on November 17, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  23. Canfield, Sam (October 2, 2023). "The impossible rise of Cooper Flagg". Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on October 7, 2023. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  24. Clark, Ernie (March 31, 2022). "Flagg twins' quest for improvement is not an indictment of Maine high school basketball". Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  25. Rogers, Sam (February 22, 2022). "Three Maine brothers are three wins away from achieving childhood dream". newscentermaine.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
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