The Ace Flagg era is underway at the University of Maine.
And if Wednesday night’s preseason scrimmage against Husson University was any indication, it’s going to be an exciting time for the Black Bears program and the 18-year-old freshman from Newport.
Flagg came off the bench for UMaine pretty quickly in the unofficial matchup, and the 6-foot-7 forward logged over 18 minutes on the night and finished with nine points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal.
He also provided the most electric play of the game.
Flagg picked up a loose ball with about a minute left in the contest, took advantage of some open space along the offensive baseline, and soared up for a powerful one-handed slam that delighted the Bangor crowd at the Cross Insurance Center.
“It felt great. I’m not a player known for dunks, so it felt good to get up there for a bit,” Flagg said after UMaine’s 89-47 victory.
Flagg made that dunk, and made his unofficial UMaine debut, while wearing his twin brother’s new basketball shoes and his mom’s old UMaine basketball number.
Flagg is donning the same number 11 jersey that his mother, Kelly Flagg, wore when she was a player on the UMaine women’s basketball team. And he and several other UMaine players were rocking the New Balance Hesi Low v2 x Cooper Flagg, the first exclusive shoe design for Ace Flagg’s twin brother Cooper Flagg as he embarks on his first season in the NBA.
New Balance is the official footwear and apparel provider for UMaine Athletics.
Asked how it feels to represent both Maine and his family in this new chapter, Ace Flagg called it “surreal” on Wednesday night.
“To be able to wear my mom’s jersey that she used to play in, my brother’s shoes, I mean it’s great,” Flagg said. “It just shows the impact that my family’s been able to have on me and what I do. And, you know, I love them and just wish the best for them every day — as they do for me.”
Flagg has arrived back in his home state and joined a UMaine team already on the rise after last year’s trip to the America East Conference finals. And he has brought even more momentum and attention with him after winning multiple championships in three states during high school.
UMaine coach Chris Markwood, like several of Flagg’s former coaches, has highlighted the freshman’s toughness.
“I thought he played really well,” Markwood said after the win. “He did tonight what he’s been doing. He’s a super solid kid who’s really tough, and is gunna help you win basketball games.”
Markwood credited Flagg for executing on both ends of the court.
“Offensively, you saw what he is. He’s got really good feel on the offensive side,” Markwood said. “We can play through him in different spots. He can blend with anybody else on the floor, rotation-wise. Again, I’m going to keep saying it, he’s just a guy that’s going to help you win basketball games, and he’s really starting to carve out a role.”
Flagg said it was a “great feeling” to finally play in a UMaine jersey, calling it the kind of thing he dreamt about as a kid. He was happy to see the Bangor crowd cheering both for UMaine and Husson as the local teams converged for the friendly scrimmage.
And the fans are happy to have him back in Maine.
“Ace, you’re him,” one young fan said from the stands during Wednesday night’s game.
Flagg called it “super fun” to hear the encouragement, which he says Mainers have been providing each and every day.
“That’s something Maine has always been great about, the support,” Flagg said.
And while he and his teammates enjoyed that support and coasted to a victory Wednesday night, they were far from complacent afterward.
“It’s still early,” Flagg said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys on the team, a lot of new guys. So we’re still just working to tighten everything up and get ready.”