Duke SF signee Cooper Flagg shows defensive ability at McDonald's All-American Game

All eyes in Houston are on Montverde (Fla.) Academy Five-Star Plus+ small forward and Duke signee Cooper Flagg, as the No. 1 prospect competes in the McDonald’s All-American Game.

While surrounded by top talent on both benches, Flagg is looking to show out and cement his status as the consensus top-ranked recruit before he begins his college tenure in Durham for Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils.

In the first half on Tuesday night, Flagg showed he can get it done on both sides of the floor. After pulling up and hitting a three-pointer at the top of the key in the second quarter, Flagg made a fantastic deflection in the paint just a couple of possessions later.

The 6-foot-8, 195-pounder managed to swat a floater attempt at the apex of his jump in impressive fashion:

Cooper Flagg is making his presence known. 👀🔥@Cooper_Flagg | @DukeMBB pic.twitter.com/1WoX6ROubO

— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) April 3, 2024

To no surprise, Flagg has impressed in the lead-up to Tuesday’s event, too. He was a top performer for On3’s Jamie Shaw following the second practice in Houston earlier this week.

“Cooper Flagg is filled with winning plays. What stood out the most in this setting today is his competitiveness. He competes from the starting whistle to the final buzzer and did so today. Flagg’s timing on defense puts him in a different class than many of his peers. He is excellent in the passing lanes and his shot-blocking ability affects play around the rim,” Shaw wrote.

At the end of March, Flagg was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year, beating out Five-Star Plus+ Rutgers signee Ace Bailey and Five-Star Plus+ Baylor commit VJ Edgecombe. He was also named the Naismith National High School Boy’s Basketball Player of the Year in March.

The consensus No. 1 prospect in the 2025 class, Flagg reclassified this fall into 2024 and immediately took over as the top recruit in that class, too. He committed to Duke in November and signed with the Blue Devils as part of their top-rated recruiting class.

In the latest ESPN mock drafts for the 2025 NBA Draft, Flagg is projected as the No. 1 overall pick.

Cooper Flagg Bio

Flagg was a well-known name before he arrived on the high school scene, but he became the first-ever freshman to be selected as Maine’s Gatorade Player of the Year. He averaged 20.5 points, 10 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 3.7 steals and 3.7 blocks for Nokomis Regional. He transferred to basketball powerhouse Montverde Academy in Florida after his freshman season. Flagg was named the MVP of the 2023 Hoophall Classic after scoring 21 points with five steals, five rebounds and three assists in Montverde’s 85-63 victory over La Lumiere Academy. Flagg would go on to be named a semifinalist for the Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award. Flagg averaged 9.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and three assists per game in his first season at Montverde, which firmly established him as the consensus No. 1 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class. Flagg is also a standout on the international stage.

In 2022, Flagg was named USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year after his performance at the U17 World Cup. He was the youngest player to ever win the award. “I’m not sure there are any one-to-one comps for him. I think the way he protects the rim from the weak side changes any comps I could throw out there,” NBA draft expert Nathan Grubel said. “His block numbers are outrageous. I’d say he could become a very strong mix of Gordon Hayward and Andrei Kirilenko.” Flagg’s mother, Kelly, played basketball at Maine. He has a twin brother, Ace, who also plays basketball.