Jon Scheyer weighs in on Cooper Flagg vs. Johni Broome for National Player of the Year

It’s a two-man race for the National Player of the Year Award. Duke‘s Cooper Flagg and Auburn‘s Johni Broome both have strong arguments for the coveted title but, to Duke head coach Jon Scheyer, it’s a no-brainer.

“Look, I mean, for me, it’s Cooper,” Scheyer said after Duke’s 82-69 win over North Carolina on Saturday. ““That’s not knocking anybody — I mean, we played Broome, he’s a great player — but Cooper, the way he impacts every aspect of the game, I don’t think we’ve seen in college for a long time.

“He impacts it in every way, and tonight’s a good example… But again, that’s not what Cooper plays for. That’s not what we play for. But obviously, recognition you always appreciate and is good. But we’ll keep control of what we can. That’s the best we can do.”

In Duke’s victory over the Tar Heels to complete the season sweep, Flagg stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four blocks despite missing 10 minutes in the first half after getting poked in the eye.

The standout performance was nothing new for Flagg. He is leading the Blue Devils in all five major statistical categories this season with 19.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game this season while shooting 49.4% from the field and 37.7% from beyond the arc.

In comparison, Auburn big man Johni Broome is averaging 18.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 50.6% from the floor and 29.7% from range. However, Broome missed two games in January due to injury.

Both players have boosted their teams to similar success. Duke finished the regular season 28-3 while Auburn posted a 27-4 record. They each won their respective regular-season conference titles.

When the two teams met in a head-to-head matchup on Dec. 4, Duke emerged with an 84-78 victory. Flagg and Broome posted eerily similar statlines, with each of them recording a double-double and shooting just under 50% from the field.

Of course, fans will argue that Broome played tougher competition during conference play and would’ve averaged even better numbers in the ACC but Flagg has shown that he’s capable of monstrous outings against any team in the country. At just 17 years old, he was dropping 26 points in the Champions Classic against Kentucky.

No matter who takes home National Player of the Year, Scheyer is thankful to have been able to coach Cooper Flagg. He won’t forget his experience with the likely No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft anytime soon.

“Yeah, I think the, the talent speaks for itself. Love coaching his talent,” Scheyer said. “But, I’ve loved coaching the person. You know, he’s, he’s all about the right stuff.”