Duke Star Wing Cooper Flagg stuffed the stat sheet in the team’s decisive victory over Stanford on February 15. He had 19 points, six rebounds, and five assists while shooting 7 for 13 from the field.
Flagg’s counting stats as a freshman are comparable to any player in the country, but Duke head coach John Scheyer believes the youngster is unconcerned about personal statistics. Rather, he claims that Flagg is focused on piling up wins for Duke, and Scheyer describes that approach as “contagious.”
“How can you care about statistics when your best player, and I believe everyone else, doesn’t?
“Cooper doesn’t care. He cares about winning. “I believe that’s contagious,” Scheyer remarked.
Scheyer also stated that his goal each offseason is to construct a club with the same “complete unselfishness” as the current Blue Devils team demonstrates.
“You aim to establish teams like this all the time. That was the goal in the offseason, when everyone was completely committed and selfless. At the same time, you want guys to be hungry for their own and individual futures,” Scheyer explained.
“I believe we sought to present a picture of what could happen. Individual success is mostly dependent on team success, learning how to play, and making the right reads. “Our team has embraced that.”
On a team full of selfless players, Flagg has been the best at setting up his teammates for baskets. He leads the club with 4.0 assists per game and 2.5 turnovers, and he has handed out as much as seven assists in a single game this season.
With Flagg as the playmaker’s straw, the Blue Devils are poised to compete for a national championship in April.
Duke’s 22-3 record this season leads the ACC league, and the program has yet to lose a home game. Also, they are ranked third in the current AP Top 25 poll, trailing just Florida and Auburn. The latter is led by none other than the big guy, Johni Broome.
