Cooper Flagg is becoming known nationwide as his memorable summer continued at the Peach Jam 15-Under Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Tournament last week in North Augusta, South Carolina.
The Nokomis High School of Newport star, who helped lead Team USA to the FIBA World Cup Under-17 championship in Spain earlier this summer, guided his Maine United team to a 3-1 record in round robin play which was tops in its group.
The Maine team advanced to the quarterfinals, where his team was matched up against the Florida-based Nightrydas, who featured the Boozer twins, Cameron and Cayden. They are the sons of two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer.
Flagg and Cameron Boozer, a pair of 6-foot-8 forwards, have been rated two of the top three college prospects in the country in the 2025 high school class.
ESPN ranked Cameron Boozer as the top prospect and Flagg as the third-best. On3, a college sports digital media, data and marketing company, ranked them among the top three high school players in the country, regardless of class.
The game last Friday was supposed to be played at a smaller court, but interest in the matchup was so great, Nike moved it to the biggest court in the facility, according to On3. The crowd still reached capacity, and they had to shut the doors to the court.
At least 97 college coaches and NBA scouts were on hand, according to On3.
Nightrydas triumphed 79-36 and went on to win the tournament.
Flagg paced his team with 13 points and seven rebounds while Cameron Boozer netted 20 points and 12 rebounds for the winners. Cayden Boozer tallied 10 points and five rebounds.
The Boozer twins attend Christopher Columbus High School in Miami while Flagg and his twin brother, Ace, who also played for Maine United, are transferring to Montverde Academy in Florida this fall.
Flagg and Cameron Boozer have both received scholarship offers from some of the nation’s best basketball schools.
Duke, Michigan, UCLA, West Virginia and Iowa are among the Division I offers Flagg has already received while Boozer has also received offers from Duke and Michigan, along with Miami and Florida State.
Flagg became the first freshman to be named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Maine after powering Nokomis to its first ever Class A boys state championship.
The Bangor Daily News first team All-Maine Schoolboy Basketball Team selection went on to play in the FIBA U-17 World Cup in Spain as one of just three 15-year-olds on the team and averaged 9.3 points, 10 rebounds, 2.4 blocked shots, 2.4 steals and 1.9 assists per game as team USA went 7-0.
He played a key role in the Americans’ comeback 79-67 win over Spain in the championship game with 10 points, 17 rebounds, eight steals and four blocked shots along with two assists.
