Cooper Flagg battling cramps in second half vs. Army

In Duke‘s showdown against Army on Friday, Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg left the game due to cramps in the second half. This isn’t the first time Flagg has encountered this issue. He also left Duke’s season-opening win over Maine due to cramps.

On Friday, Flagg appeared to be suffering cramps just above his knees in his quadriceps. Both legs seemingly locked up on Flagg around four minutes into the second half and he limped to the bench before being greeted by team trainers.

Before leaving the game, Flagg tallied 13 points, 11 rebounds and three assists while shooting 5-10 from the field. It is Flagg’s first career double-double. In the Blue Devils’ season opener, Flagg notched 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

After the game, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer raved about Flagg’s debut performance.

“I’m proud of him for just impacting the game and playing every possession,” Scheyer said. “He’s giving it everything he had. I think that’s great that he can admit and say that he was emotional. I think that’s natural, you know? I think anybody is for their first game, let alone the fact he’s playing Maine where he’s from. His mom went there, but again I thought he did — he lead us in assist [and] rebounds.

“I thought he was close to having 25 [points] tonight, honestly, with some of those finishes a couple open shots. That’s going to fall… I think the thing that’s exciting for him is just for me, I should say, watching him. It’s just how he makes everybody better and how he plays every possession.”

Living up to expectations is an accomplishment in and of itself for Flagg. He played high school basketball at Montverde Academy, where he was five-star prospect and the No. 1 overall player in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to On3 Industry Ranking.

Earlier this year, Cooper Flagg was the sole collegiate player to earn a spot on the USA Select Team, which scrimmaged against Team USA ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Flagg not only made the roster, but turned heads during scrimmages against NBA stars such as Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Now, Flagg will look to dominate at the collegiate level as well. However, he must first overcome his cramping issues.