By: Ty Scott
August 11, 2023
Roman Reigns is considered the best and most dominant wrestler in the world right now, boasting a WWE Universal Champion title reign for over 1000 days. But even he wouldn't want to grapple with the dominance of 6-foot-9 basketball phenom, Cooper Flagg.
He may not be a universal champion like Reigns, but with Flagg’s performance at this year’s Nike EYBL Peach Jam, many have been giving him the title of the best high school basketball player — even at the age of 16.
Flagg raked up video game numbers last month with 25.4 points, 13 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 6.8 blocks per game. His prowess on the hardwood may be as dominant as Reigns in the ring. With those stats and the expectation that he’ll get even better, I believe Paul Heyman would be calling him “The New Tribal Chief" over Reigns.
Flagg was the No. 2 player in the class of 2025 according to 247Sports, but his college basketball debut will come sooner than we thought. Because his birthday is December 21, 2006; he is eligible for the 2025 NBA Draft, which likely fueled his decision on Friday to reclassify to the class of 2024. He is likely be ranked No. 1 in the class of 2024 — and already has been tabbed No. 1 by On3 Sports.
Flagg is a weapon on both ends of the court. He can block your shot, get the loose ball, drive, set up the half court offense, or even just take it himself with a mid range jumper or right to the hoop. The superstar from Maine can go anywhere he wants in terms of basketball; every D1 school wants him and so does the G-League.
If you asked Flagg or his family about his recruitment, I assume you’d get the typical answer that most recruits give: he’ll pick the right school for him and his future on and off the court. However, if you ask that question to anyone who follows college basketball, you will have everyone roll their eyes and say ”Duke” or “Probably Dook” especially after his unofficial visit to the campus in Durham, NC.
There’s even multiple crystal ball predictions on 247Sports for Flagg to eventually pick Duke blue. Even though Duke fans would love to believe that going to Duke is a done deal after his visit, recruiting experts say they still think that Flagg will likely take visits to other schools (one school that is mentioned is the defending NCAA champion, UConn). Nothing is guaranteed in recruiting and especially now with the Wild West of college sports with NIL.
I’m not a gambler; I have a negative balance in my FanDuel betting app to show for it. But if I had to bet on where Flagg will be playing after his days at Montverde Academy are over, I would put all my money on the chance that Flagg will be the focal point of the Blue Devils team in the coming future, and be the main attraction in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Plus, his competitive attitude and natural talent will most likely make him the next widely hated Duke player. But Duke fans are hopeful that he will weather the blows in the ring, weather the boos from the crowd, and lead Jon Scheyer’s team to their own title belt— I mean, National Championship.
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