There has been a lot of talk recently about Cooper Flagg, the basketball player. And for good reason. He’s won five out of the six official awards for national player of the year in men’s college basketball, and he’s expected to be the number one pick in the NBA draft.
But with so much national attention on Cooper Flagg, the Duke star, and Cooper Flagg, the potential NBA player, it’s worth taking a breath and considering Cooper Flagg, the person.
That has certainly been the approach in Flagg’s hometown of Newport, where residents aren’t just excited to see one of their own find his way to the center of the basketball universe — they’re also proud of the way he’s stayed true to his roots as a hardworking and polite kid representing them on a national stage.
Flagg’s efforts in the classroom have also gained online attention as of late, with his widely-circulated 4.0 grade point average at Duke adding more detail to the public’s understanding of the 18-year-old phenom.
“Things come very naturally to him. He’s somebody who — he takes everything he does very seriously, including his academics,” Flagg’s longtime player development coach Matt MacKenzie told the Bangor Daily News several weeks ago during the NCAA tournament. “And even though his course load may not be as intense as maybe some of the other Duke students, when he puts his mind to something or when he’s involved in something, he’s going to make sure he goes two feet all-in, and I don’t think that he could settle for any type of failure.”
Some top players might be inclined to slack off in their coursework, or to eschew the amount of studying needed to achieve a perfect GPA, with their eyes on the NBA.
“But for Cooper, I think that it’s just not in his DNA to be that way,” MacKenzie said. “So he wants to make sure that he leaves an impression on everybody that he encounters, including his professors, including his classmates, and everybody that he’s involved with day-to-day. And so I think that, you know, that’s really been something that he has taken a lot of pride in, is just being the best he can be in all walks of life.”
Strong hometown roots
That approach has resonated with people in the Newport area. From start to finish during Duke’s run to the Final Four, locals watching Flagg compete emphasized how grounded he has stayed even when rising to the top of college basketball.
“He knows his roots,” said Ed McKay of St. Albans, a former teacher from the area who stressed Flagg’s academic ability.
“A lot of people would really have become a different person,” said longtime Newport resident Al Worden. “But he hasn’t, and his family hasn’t.”
MacKenzie spoke more about Flagg late last week.
“He’s just an incredibly caring person, really, just somebody who values family. He’s very loyal,” said MacKenzie, who has worked with Flagg for around seven years. “As famous as he has become, and all of the hype that has kind of grown around him, at the end of the day, he’s still just a kid from Maine.”
Flagg keeps in contact with close friends from Newport and cares about staying connected to those roots, MacKenzie said.
“And I think that’s what makes him such a great kid is just, no matter how big or how famous he gets, he’s just incredibly grounded and he’s always looking out for his own,” MacKenzie said.
Taking time to reflect
Flagg will also be looking to his own as he navigates a difficult end to an otherwise dream-like season for Duke, and faces a mountain of speculation about whether he will now take his game to the NBA. He was asked about that decision-making process on SportsCenter over the weekend.
“Just evaluating, reflecting,” Flagg told ESPN’s Sean Farnham on Saturday. “It was an incredible year. I met a lot of incredible people, made a ton of great relationships that I’m going to have for the rest of my life. And I think now it’s time for me to reflect — take a couple of days, take a week, take a month, whatever it is — for me. Talk to my parents, talk to the coaches. And just really decide what’s best for me.”
It’s an objectively complicated time for the 18-year-old, who is surrounded by relentless NBA excitement on the heels of a gutting college loss, something he discussed in the interview with ESPN when asked about the emotions of an eventful previous week.
“Obviously, losing that game was really hard for me and all my teammates and whatnot,” Flagg said. “I think just trying to reflect back on the season now, thinking about all the recognition that I’ve been able to get, it’s truly a surreal feeling and it’s such an honor for me, I just feel really grateful and blessed.”
MacKenzie also spoke to the complexity of the moment, and the pride that remains despite an unfortunate end for the Blue Devils team that showed a close bond during a 35-4 season.
“Obviously, it did not end the way that they wanted it to, and it was obviously very devastating to see them go out the way that they did,” MacKenzie said. “However, I think that when they can look back on the season, they certainly had some really great moments to look back on, and I think that they can certainly say that it was a successful season overall.”
The ultimate goal for Flagg may have been a championship, but falling just shy of that goal does not negate an Atlantic Coast Conference championship nor a host of individual accolades.
“Time will heal all wounds, but as a competitor, I think that he’s obviously going to be disappointed with the outcome. And it’s going to take a little bit of time for him to be able to kind of move past that,” MacKenzie said.
MacKenzie highlighted the encouragement that Flagg continues to receive from those close to him.
“I think that’s all we can do at this time, just kind of make sure that we remind him how proud we are of him, and be there for him in any way he needs,” MacKenzie said.
Enjoying the moment
Flagg’s comments to ESPN came as he was in Los Angeles to receive the John R. Wooden award, arguably the most prestigious of the player of the year honors in college basketball.
As part of that interview, Farnham asked Flagg if he had a message for his younger self about what his journey has been like.
“I’d just tell him to keep his head down, and keep working. And enjoy what he’s going through, even before moving away from Maine,” Flagg said. “Enjoy those moments, because those are truly something that you can’t get back.”
Flagg referenced the Maine state championship he won with brothers Ace and Hunter as part of the Nokomis Regional High School team a few years ago, along with the time he spent playing rec basketball as a young kid.
“And those are some of the memories that I look back to, of playing rec ball, playing high school back in Maine my freshman year with both of my brothers on the same team, just enjoying those moments a little bit more and just staying present,” Flagg said. “Because it doesn’t last forever, and those are the memories you’re going to look back to always.”