The Cooper Flag and the Duke Blue Devils lost in a Heartbreaker to Houston and missed their chance to compete in the NCAA National Championship.
Duke’s Cooper Flag will not enter the NBA as the national champion. The overall consensus first pick missed a potential shot from Game Tising against Houston in the final four games.
The Blue Devils were considered one of their favourites coming into the madness of March. And they lived up to those expectations and did it all the way up to the Final Four.
However, Flag and Duke were unable to overcome the Houston Cougars in the shots competing on the line for the NCAA National Championship.
It was still a great tournament from Flag. However, his comments two months ago have resurfaced, potentially forcing a major change in the 2025 NBA Draft.
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In February, Cooper Flag spoke with Athletic, who was profiled as a prolific college star. During the interview, he seemed to suggest that he want to stay longer.
The experience of attending university is something Flag enjoys. On top of that, his $4.3 million nil deal makes him a fascinating prospect for his second year at Duke.
“It’s going really fast. Since my freshman year (in high school) and every year since then, it’s been faster and faster.”
“It’s all faster this season. If you stop thinking about it, it’s crazy… “S**T, I want to go back next year.”
“I still feel like a child. This is the only way I know college. That’s how I see it. How kids have felt before and if this feels different, if this feels more professional.”
“I mean, that’s the same for high school kids. They’re paying a lot of money. I don’t know. I feel pretty normal.”
Read more: NBA fans are horrifying as De’aaron Fox injury checks Spurs Tank in the 2025 draft.
Cooper Flag hasn’t been outside commitment to staying at Duke for another season, but it could potentially make him stick out for another year.
The sensational freshman had an incredible year, but he couldn’t win the NCAA Championship. There’s no doubt Flag wanted to recreate the magical Johnson path to the NBA.
In 1979, Magic Johnson won the national championship at Michigan. Just a few months later, the Los Angeles Lakers selected him first overall in the NBA Draft.
If Flag returns to Duke for another season, this could lead Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper to the top of the pack. Any of those players can proceed in the whole first along with an external Shout VJ Edgecomb.
Perhaps several NBA teams are playing this season to get the best odds to land the Cooper Flag. If Flag chooses to play another year before going to Pro, they will feel like they’re done hard.