Five-star Duke basketball recruiting target wins huge national honor

At this time last year, Cooper Flagg was a freshman in high school and well on his way to becoming the premier prep prospect in Maine. But it wasn't until this summer, after receiving a notably early Duke basketball offer in May, that the 6-foot-8, 195-pound small forward made a giant splash nationally and earned a five-star rating.

And as of this week's announcement, Flagg, who turned 16 years old a few days ago and now sits No. 2 on the 247Sports 2025 Rankings while attending prep powerhouse Montverde Academy (Fla.), is the youngest USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year since the award's inception in 1980.

As a mere 15-year-old on the USA Men's U17 National Team this summer at the FIBA Men's U17 World Cup in Spain, Cooper Flagg helped lead his squad to a 7-0 mark on their way to a gold medal.

His versatility and intensity on both ends of the floor, evident in his stat lines from that trip, are clearly off the charts.

Flagg made headlines frequently while averaging 9.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.4 steals, and 2.9 blocks per game, despite being more than a year younger than most of the players he faced. Furthermore, he saved his best performance for the gold-sealing 79-67 win over Spain in July, tallying 10 points, 17 boards, eight steals, and four blocks.

This man is the truth.

Competing two years above his class, @Cooper_Flagg averaged 9.3 points & 10 rebounds per game in his first international run to gold. pic.twitter.com/U6SD2QOV9Y
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) December 21, 2022

Sure, Flagg hasn't named finalists in his recruitment and might be a year or more from choosing a college. That said, his admitted Duke basketball fandom as a kid and early offer from first-year head coach Jon Scheyer suggest the Blue Devils are likely to be contenders in the race until the finish line.

Duke's only other 2025 targets are the Boozer twins, Cameron and Cayden, the sons of 2001 Blue Devil national champion and two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for more Duke basketball recruiting updates.