Two years out from winning a gold ball with Nokomis and becoming the first freshman to win Maine Gatorade Player of the Year, Cooper Flagg made his first appearance with Montverde Academy back in his home state, putting on a show for thousands of fans at the Maine Event.
Demonstrating the continued physical and instinctual maturity he has undergone at Montverde Academy, Cooper exploded for 26 points (64.7 percent shooting), 9.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 5.5 blocks per game against some of the country’s top talent, turning Portland into a frenzied basketball mecca for two straight nights.
As the nation’s No. 1 basketball prospect regardless of class, all eyes are on Newport’s very own future Duke Blue Devil to succeed at the college level, and later as an NBA lottery pick. His explosiveness, instincts and versatility have been compared to the skillsets of Paul George, Aaron Gordon and Larry Bird, and this weekend Cooper proved that he’s just scratching the surface of what he could become.
“I’ve had the good fortune of coaching a lot of guys picked high in the draft, and he’s every bit as much with the Cade Cunninghams, the Scottie Barnes and the Kyrie Irivings,” 13-year Montverde head coach Kevin Boyle said. “He’s on that path, no question — he could fall short, or go beyond.”
Of his many traits, Cooper’s explosiveness was the most electrifying element in Portland this weekend. Whether it was his slam dunk three seconds into Friday’s game, his unbelievable alley-oops on Saturday or his 11 blocks on the weekend, Cooper easily won over the home crowd while striking fear into the opponent’s hearts. Practically able to reach the rim with his head when leaping flat-footed, Cooper made Gonzaga and CATS hesitant to drive to the basket on him — even with a numbers advantage in transition — and when combined with his quickness, he could easily make up for 4 to 5 feet of separation on catch-and-shoot jump shots.
While less flashy yet equally as evident, Cooper’s high basketball IQ was on display in both games, passing when double-teamed and remaining communicative on defense. The 17-year-old was able to find the open man down low, and was very unselfish moving the ball around the perimeter — fitting seamlessly into Montverde’s offensive locomotive. Moreover, Cooper almost never turned the ball over, and only committed two fouls each game.
Finally, Cooper also contradicted criticisms of his outside shot-taking and skill package, shooting 5-for-8 from beyond the arc and flexing his craftiness near the basket. Against CATS Academy, Cooper made three consecutive 3-pointers in the span of 90 seconds, accelerated into a pull-up bank shot from about 7 feet out, and contorted his way through two defenders for a crafty lay-up in the paint.
“At his size growing up, you’re playing the center position all the time, but he’s got a lot more comfortable playing further away from the basket. He’s gotta get his handle a little tighter and shoot it more consistently to be an elite NBA player, and I think that will happen — he’s in the gym all the time and understands what he needs to do to get better,” Boyle said.
“You gotta be a little selfish if you want to become a star-level player. But being selfish in his way is good, because it’s good for the team.”
