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The Golden Globes were on Sunday in Beverly Hills, but they weren’t even close to being the best show of the weekend.
No, that award goes to the thrilling spectacle that high school basketball phenom Cooper Flagg and others put on right here in Maine.
As Bangor Daily News sports reporter Sam Canfield covered over the weekend, Flagg’s much-anticipated (and long sold-out) homecoming sent fans into a frenzy in Portland and demonstrated the talent and effort that has propelled the former Nokomis superstar to the No. 1 prospect in high school basketball.
Cooper Flagg and his twin brother Ace, now teammates at basketball powerhouse Montverde Academy in Florida, proved once again that they deserve the hype, and then some. After leading Nokomis Regional High School to a state championship as freshmen, the Flaggs and their teammates on the Maine United AAU team turned heads yet again by finishing second in the Nike Peach Jam in South Carolina this summer.
Cooper Flagg was named the No. 1 prospect by ESPN a few months ago, and made a much-anticipated commitment to play at Duke next season. He, Ace and their Montverde teammates were in Portland over the weekend for two days of basketball at the Maine Event. They brought impressive play, and the fans brought plenty of excitement.
“It was surreal,” Ace Flagg told Canfield. “Seeing all the support and love from the community.”
It’s surreal for us, too. Mainers get to watch in real time as the Flaggs captivate the basketball world. The best player in high school basketball, and potentially the future No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, is a kid from Maine. That’s pretty cool.
“You can’t predict anything like it,” Earl Anderson, Cooper Flagg’s coach at Nokomis, told Canfield earlier this year. “It’s like a Hollywood movie.”
The movie just keeps getting better. And it didn’t happen by accident. Flagg’s rise has been fueled by his explosive talent, sure. But it also has been the result of relentless hard work.
“It’s just a great feeling, knowing all the hours and reps are going to show,” Cooper said after he wowed with scoring performances of 23 and 29 points over the weekend. “It’s about being confident and letting them fly.”
As he and his brother continue to elevate their games, they also elevate Maine basketball in the process. The Maine Event also featured the teams from Nokomis and Cony High School, along with a squad from the St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire that features Maine players Landon Clark and Teigan Pelletier.
“It’s awesome to be part of this event,” Nokomis player Dawson Townsend t old Canfield afterward. “Especially being so close and having a great relationship with [Cooper]. It’s cool to see the hard work pay off.”
Cool is the right word. This weekend’s Maine Event was another exciting chapter in a “Hollywood story” that keeps getting better. Mainers should feel lucky to be along for the ride. We certainly do.
