In a season where Jon Scheyer has witnessed so many wonderful things from Cooper Flagg, the Duke basketball coach saw something different, and ominous, from the freshman Saturday night.
“I’ve never seen him look scared,” Scheyer said after Flagg left Duke’s 100-65 win over Florida State in the first half with an eye injury that blurred his vision. “I thought he was scared at first. You don’t know how serious. Is it permanent?” As it turned out, the hit to the face Flagg absorbed from FSU 7-footer Alier Maluk only temporarily knocked him from the game. After playing only seven minutes in the first half, Flagg was cleared to return by Duke eye specialists, Dr. C. Ellis Wisely (ophthalmologist) and Dr. Mark Newman (optometrist).
He scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half of No. 2 Duke’s blowout win. “We have an amazing setup,” Scheyer said. “Our medical team did a great job. Our eye doctor, who handles everything for the team, was here and saw him right away. Fortunately, it wasn’t anything with his eye itself. It was his eyelid. He got bruised, basically.” Still, it caused plenty of nervous moments given Flagg, a preseason all-American, is the projected No. 1 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft.
It was also unnerving for Scheyer, who saw his brief professional playing career cut short in summer 2010 after he was poked in the eye during an NBA Summer League game and suffered permanent damage. So learning Flagg’s vision was not permanently altered eased his mind. “I was really relieved when the medical team shared the news,” Scheyer said, “because I was really nervous about him.” Flagg was not available for comment after the game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. After being cut near his nose and receiving medical treatment earlier in the first half, the 6-9 forward walked wobbly off the court with 11:27 to play in the first half after Maluk’s hand dragged across Flagg’s face while Maluk attempted to block a shot.
Game officials looked at instant replay after Maluk hit Flagg to determine if additional discipline was warranted but did not elevate the original common foul call. Leaving the court with Duke athletics trainer Jose Fonseca and teammate Mason Gillis, Flagg momentarily placed his hand on Gillis’ back to steady himself. After a few minutes on the bench, he walked with the medical staff out of Cameron Indoor Stadium’s playing arena.
He returned to the bench a few minutes later, then went to undergo additional medical attention before returning again.
Flagg’s parents, Ralph and Kelly, sat behind the Duke bench. During a timeout, Kelly Flagg exited the field with Fonseca but later returned to sit next to her husband. Duke lead Florida State 47-30 at halftime in their ACC game, with Flagg contributing four points, three rebounds, and two assists. Flagg, Duke’s leading scorer (19.4 points) and rebounder (7.6), finished the game with 16 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
The Blue Devils were already without two players: starter guard Tyrese Proctor (bone bruise in left knee) and reserve big Maliq Brown (dislocated shoulder). Both are expected back this season. Flagg’s injuries was significantly less serious in the end, though it created plenty of concern. “He was beaten up and scratched up,” Duke graduate student forward Sion James stated. “But Coop is one of the toughest players I’ve ever played with. I was confident that if he could return, he would.
