It’s been a busy week and a half for Cooper Flagg, the 6’1″ talent with the basketball world watching his every move.
He first made headlines in early August after rumors circulated that he had beaten NBA all-star Bradley Beal in a 1-on-1 game at Jayson Tatum’s camp.
After the Brian Scalabrine-led craze died down, arguably the best prospect in the country (regardless of class) was back to business as usual.
Until now.
Flagg has announced that he is moving up from Group ’25 to Class 2024, giving him a head start for the next chapter of his basketball career, including the pro ranks.
Montverde Academy (Florida) shared the news via social media:
Graduation year is just around the corner 👀
congratulations @Cooper_Flagg 👏
Now let’s put a 🏆 in the case pic.twitter.com/oaVtz0G2xP
— Montverde Academy Basketball (@MVABasketball) August 11, 2023
The ringtone Kevin O’Connor added some exciting context to the news for NBA fans.
Huge news. Cooper Flagg in 2025, Cameron Boozer in 2026, AJ Dybantsa in 2027. Some important contenders are coming into the NBA.
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) August 11, 2023
Flagg’s defensive abilities originally put him on the Recruitment map, a mix of size and speed with the agility to cover a ton of space. More recently, however, his offensive performance has garnered national attention, peaking during his EYBL season where he averaged 25.4 points, 13.0 rebounds and 6.9 blocks.
The increased attention builds on the Victor Wembanyama effect, the global sensation who was drafted No. 1 in the 2023 NBA draft and has been dubbed a “generational talent.”
Height coupled with defensive dribbling skills, the reach of a skilled goalscorer… plus top-level defense and rebounds? There’s room for that in the NBA roster.
And now the league might not have to wait so long to get it.
Of course, Flagg also has near-open access to some top colleges, from Duke, Kansas and UCLA to UConn, Villanova, Kansas State and more.
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