Flagg thrives with all-around play for No. 7 Duke in collegiate debut against hometown program

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Cooper Flagg felt nervous and excited before his highly anticipated regular-season debut for No. 7 Duke at the famous Cameron Indoor Stadium. Coming out of the tunnel and seeing the opponent wearing the jersey of his hometown program – one with long ties to his family – gave it a little more feeling.

The No. 1 nationally ranked Associated Press All-American recruit and preseason All-American had 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a highlight-reel dunk to help the Blue Devils to a 96-62 win over Maine on Monday night.

It conflicted with a program where his mother played basketball and where the Newport, Maine native went to games when he was growing up about 30 minutes from campus. And where his brother Ace — who sat behind the Black Bears bench while their parents sat behind the Dukes sideline — will play next year.

“I think even for me it was a little more emotional when I walked out and saw the Maine on her chest,” Cooper Flagg said. “Obviously this is a team that I grew up watching when I was young. Seeing it brought out even more emotions in me and knowing it was the first real game. It was definitely a very emotional game for me, but I was able to take it easy and take care of business.”

The 6-foot-3 forward hasn't had a promising start to a career that will almost certainly last just a single year en route to the NBA as a possible No. 1 overall pick. But he showed an all-around game on the floor, playing on the glass, acting as a facilitator and still bringing the ball up in transition.

In his roughly 30 minutes of work, he made six of 15 shots, made all six of his free throws, but missed all four of his 3-pointers – including a couple in the first half that either rolled or bounced. But he also glided around the pitch to make his presence felt in the flow of the game, including two waved-off finishes after the final whistle that would have counted as an And-1 under the continuation rules at the next level.

“Honestly, I thought he was almost 25 tonight with some of those finishes and a few free throws,” said Duke coach Jon Scheyer, who beat two-time defending national champion UConn to get Flagg. ‘It’s going to fall.’ I think the fun thing about watching him is how he makes everyone better and how he capitalizes on every possession.”

In addition to the assists, which Flagg scored either through high-low tackles on 7-foot freshman Khaman Maluach or by passing the ball over the defense, Flagg also drew eight of Maine's 19 team fouls that night, which posed a gambling problem for the America East program. He also showed plenty of momentum, once diving to the floor to make a steal after releasing the ball near halfcourt – with Duke leading by 29 points with about four minutes left.

“He just goes out and has fun and plays basketball,” junior point guard Tyrese Proctor said. “He doesn’t overcomplicate his game. He just makes the right play and is really fun to play with.”

Flagg's first college points came on free throws and his first field goal came on a stickback with 6:25 left before halftime. And yes, there was an impressive move that the “Cameron Crazies” – and anyone else willing to analyze Flagg's every move – could see immediately as Flagg dribbled around defender Quion Burns, rolled into the paint and just outside the attacking circle, he performed a full-extension dunk with his right hand.

Flagg's night ended abruptly when he landed awkwardly on the baseline in traffic and was left stranded due to cramps with 3:28 remaining. Coach Jose Fonseca came by to briefly work on his left leg. But Flagg soon limped back to the bench to watch the final minutes while chugging from a Gatorade water fight.

Afterwards, Scheyer said he was glad to hear that Flagg was able to “admit and say he was emotional” while playing against Maine, despite being associated with the program. And listening to Black Bears coach Chris Markwood, you feel like you're there on the next step of Flagg's “fairytale” journey from small town Maine to one of college basketball's most famous arenas.

“I think we're a little impressed because you just don't see something like this happen very often in the state of Maine,” Markwood said. “He's got a whole state behind him. “Everyone is just rooting for him and can't wait to see everything he does.”

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