Team USA praises Cooper Flagg, 17-year-old standout at Olympic training camp

LAS VEGAS – Cooper Flagg is leaving Las Vegas due to the now-concluded Team USA training camp.

Flagg, 17, an incoming freshman at Duke and an early favorite as the No. 1 pick of the 2025 NBA draft, is not on the team headed to Paris and a possible fifth Olympic gold medal. But during the three matches in the last three days against the Stars national team he was the best player in the selected team and one of the most consistent players on the court.

“Cooper Flagg was incredible,” said Jim Boylen, assistant coach for both the Select Team and the Indiana Pacers. “He’s not scared.”

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“He showed no fear,” said center Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons and select team pick. “He came in and worked hard every day. You’d think he’s already here, you know what I mean?”

“Coop was playing out of his mind,” said Jaime Jacquez Jr., a select team player who also plays for the Miami Heat.

“He wants it, you can see how bad he wants it,” said Devin Booker of the U.S. national team.

That was just a sample.

The final scoring tally for Flagg was not immediately available, but American coaches and officials estimated Flagg scored between 14 and 17 points in Monday’s narrow 74-73 loss to Team USA. And in the portion of the scrimmage open to the media, Flagg drained a corner 3 and then executed an audacious putback over the American defense to put the Select team ahead 69–68 with less than 2 minutes left Was. Flagg missed the ensuing free throw.

Team USA won due to consecutive 3’s from Booker and then Jrue Holiday (who was tasked with guarding the flag – a compliment to the Duke freshman as Holiday is one of the best defenders in the NBA). Anthony Davis blew away Brandin Podziemski’s potential game-winning shot at the buzzer.

One of the 3s on the flag came against Davis, which Jacquez said was retaliation for the block Davis recorded on the flag in Sunday’s skirmish.

“Yesterday he was blocked, and today he came back and attacked her in the face,” Jacquez said. “Right after that he got an and-1 putback, so they made a couple plays, and he got a steal there. He was incredible today.”

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Flagg, a 6-foot-9 forward, is the first college player to attend a Team USA training camp since Marcus Smart and Doug McDermott in 2013. He’s not the first Select Team player to disrupt a glittering USA training camp. As a team of stars. For example, last year Cade Cunningham received similar reviews.

But Cunningham had already been in the NBA for two seasons, and his select team tenure was so praised because he was recovering from a knee injury that had caused him to miss most of his second year in Detroit.

Well, Flagg isn’t old enough to vote. But his competitiveness belies his youth.

“I think he has a competitive fire, and he’s not afraid of anybody and he’ll attack you,” said Trayce Jackson-Davis, a 24-year-old Golden State Warriors big man who is coming off his rookie season. ” , “As a player you need that. And when you’re already like that, and you’re 17, the sky’s the limit.

The selected team was dismissed after Monday’s practice, as the national team will have to undergo a walk-through on Tuesday and play Canada in an exhibition game in Las Vegas on Wednesday night before flying to Abu Dhabi. Duke coach John Scheyer and two of his assistants were in Las Vegas to watch Flagg, as well as Flagg’s parents.

Flagg was a member of the USA under-17 team that won gold at the World Cup in 2022, and was both the Gatorade and Naismith Boys National Player of the Year in high school at Montverde Academy in Florida last season.

All high praise, but not quite the same as holding your own against NBA champions, Olympic gold medalists and all-time leading scorers.

“Once the ball goes up, I’m trying to win all the time,” Flagg said, explaining why he was not surprised by his surroundings in Las Vegas despite his age. “I’m just a competitor, and that’s about it. It’s a little bit of an adjustment, being on the court with them, but at the same time I’m just playing basketball and trying to learn.

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In several interviews, USA staff and select team players praised Flagg’s skill and size. But also his mental capacity.

“He has this confidence about himself that he’s not afraid of moments, and I think that’s a really big thing for young kids,” said select team coach Jamahl Mosley, who also coaches the Orlando Magic. , especially for people her age.”

Langston Galloway, a former NBA player and longtime USA Basketball player who serves as a practice player for the national team, became an immediate fan of Flagg’s game.

“I’m not too impressed with the scoring and all that; “I’m more impressed by his poise,” Galloway said. “He’s not trying to force his way in there like, ‘Now it’s my turn. Let me try to get a shot.’ He’s trying to make plays. You can see he clearly understands the game. Gets in the paint, makes the right reads. So for a 17 year old kid to understand the game. “Being able to do that is the most impressive part of it.”

Boylen, a former NBA head coach and former coach of USA teams that qualified the country for the 2023 World Cup, said Flagg will be an excellent player on the international stage. After this summer, the men’s national team will not be in action again until the 2027 World Cup in Qatar and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

By the time the next Olympics begins, Flagg will likely have three years of NBA service.

“He’s got versatility, he’s got position size, he’s a smart player and he adapts to contact,” Boylen said.

Flagg confirmed that he is keen to compete at the World Cup in three years if his game continues to develop.

Flagg said, “It’s something I’m striving for, just trying to be the best and, if I can achieve that and then get on the World Cup team in two years, then my Which means it’s another goal on my list.” “I’m just working and trying to get better every day.”

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Galloway left the Flagg experience understanding why experts say Flagg will be the No. 1 pick in the next NBA Draft.

“I think today was a testament to where he will be next year,” Galloway said. “This year, obviously, he’ll be at Duke. But next year, you’ll see where he’ll be.”

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(Photo of LeBron James and Cooper Flagg: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)