Downtown Portland became a basketball mecca on Friday night as thousands of Cooper Flagg fans flooded the Cross Insurance Arena to see the 17-year-old play what could be his final games in his home state of Maine.
With general admission tickets for the Maine Event selling out within 24 hours, Cooper’s biggest fans packed the front entrances hours before his Montverde Academy team tipped off against Gonzaga Prep, patiently waiting for the arena doors to open so they could snag the best seats possible.
From 10-year-old superfans and former Nokomis opponents to friends of the Flaggs’ grandparents, Friday night’s fans all had one thing in common: a personal interest in seeing Cooper and his twin brother Ace blossom.
“Watching this story unfold, you can’t encapsulate into words how proud you are — and you don’t even know him,” Hermon native Karen Clark, joined by husband Shawn and 19-year-old daughter Keeley, said of Cooper. “My boss is close with his family, so we’ve been following him the past few years, and we’re always going to follow him. It’s that hometown feeling.”
The story that Clark is referring to, of course, is Cooper Flagg’s unprecedented rise from a high school basketball player in Newport, Maine, to the nation’s No. 1 boys basketball prospect, regardless of class. It’s one that has captivated nearly every Mainer, as they all feel invested in the future of their hometown star, who is committed to play at Duke next season.
Ace Flagg is likely headed to a Division I program as well, having received numerous offers from top-tier programs. Ace remains a member of the class of 2025 at Montverde.
Hartland native and 1978 Nokomis graduate Lewis Elliott said that he was classmates with the previous generation of Warriors, including uncles and grandparents of Dawson Townsend and Connor Sides, who are former teammates of Cooper and Ace. Moreover, Elliot’s wife used to work with Cooper and Ace’s grandmother.
Flash forward to today, Elliot live streams nearly every Montverde Academy game.
“We’re just beside ourselves rooting for these boys; it’s incredible,” Elliott said, wearing a Nokomis Warriors sweatshirt. “I watch more high school basketball now than I did when I was in high school. It’s a small town thing — almost like that boy [Larry Bird] that came from French Lick, Indiana.”
The multi-generational appeal of Cooper and Ace was further emphasized by the fandom of brothers Carsen and Broden Foster of Fairfield, who are 10 and 16 years old, respectively.
Wearing “In Flagg We Trust” T-shirts, the duo reflected on the Nokomis-Lawrence basketball games where Cooper and Ace torched their hometown Bulldogs while simultaneously winning their admiration.
Led by freshmen Cooper and Ace, the Nokomis boys basketball team won the Class A state championship — the program’s first — in 2022.
“It felt like there was an elephant running behind you,” Broden said with a laugh while recalling playing against Cooper. “He dunked on me.”
“I’ve known Cooper since [Broden] played with them,” Carson said. “I love him.”
What separates Cooper from Maine basketball stars before him is not just his freak athleticism, national notoriety or NBA prospects. What drew many to witness Cooper’s return to his home state is his character.
Elliot and the Clarks separately remarked on Cooper’s continued professionalism and loyalty to his home state.
In the wake of the Lewiston shootings, Cooper postponed his Duke announcement, and later requested that SLAM Magazine direct proceeds from their magazine cover to affected families.
This week, the Flagg family has helped launch a T-shirt fundraiser for Portland’s Ronald McDonald House, and invited all of Team Maine’s middle school AAU team to attend Montverde’s games free of charge.
“It speaks to the class act that he is,” Shawn Clark said of Cooper.
“He’ll always keep Maine on the map, no matter where he plays. It’s something professional teams would die for.”
