And then there were two?
Generational high school basketball prospect Cooper Flagg has cancelled a planned recruiting visit to Kansas this weekend, according to a report from 247Sports. Flagg was set to attend Kansas’ ‘Late Night in the Phog’ event, but reportedly called Jayhawks staff Monday night to call it off. It will not be rescheduled, according to the report, which cites Flagg’s mother.
That means his college decision could come down to UConn, which he visited two weeks ago, and Duke, which he has called his ‘dream school.’
Flagg, a 6-9, 200-pound forward from Newport, Maine, is the No. 1-ranked prospect in the Class of 2024. He’s drawn comparisons to Victor Wembanyama, and has been hyped as one of the best prospects in years, a potential future No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft.
He visited UConn from Sept. 22-24, touring campus and taking photos alongside his friend Donovan Clingan, whose mother played with Flagg’s mother at the University of Maine. He also attended the UConn football game against Duke.
Flagg is scheduled to visit Duke on Oct. 20-22, and attend the Blue Devils’ ‘Countdown to Craziness,’ their unofficial season-opening event. UConn’s ‘First Night’ is set for Oct. 13.
247 Sports also reported that UConn “improved its standing with Flagg during his official visit and that they have made this a competitive battle to land (him).”
So it looks like it’s come down to the national champion Huskies, the New England school about four and a half hours from where Flagg grew up, and the school he dreamed of playing for as a kid. Flagg undoubtedly dreamed of playing for Mike Krzyzewski as opposed to second-year Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer, but how much of a difference that makes remains to be seen. Scheyer has proven he can recruit already, having landed the No. 1 class in the country last season and a top-two class in 2023. Dan Hurley has pulled off some recruiting coups of his own, and has the Huskies in the top five in most recruiting rankings for 2023.
If UConn can land Flagg, he would become the first No. 1 overall recruit ever to sign with the Huskies. Despite having won more national titles than anyone else in the sport this millennium, UConn had mostly remained a notch or two below schools like Duke, Kentucky and Kansas on the recruiting trail. If Hurley captures Flagg though, it would signal that UConn takes a back seat to no one– on the court or in luring five-star talent.
Flagg will likely make his decision before the end of the year, so Huskies fans won’t have to wait too long to hear their answer.
Kels Sayton, Hartford Courant
