Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 overall basketball recruit in the nation, will be at Saturday’s UConn football game against Duke as he makes his first of three official visits, starting with Dan Hurley and the reigning national champs.
Ironically, Flagg has referred to Duke as his “dream school” – though it is unlikely that a football game will sway his decision on where to play basketball.
After reclassifying from the Class of 2025 to 2024, Flagg set up three official visits: UConn, Kansas and Duke. He has already visited Duke unofficially, but will take his official visit with the Blue Devils from Oct. 20-22, according to Adam Zagoria of zagsblog.com. Zagoria reported that Flagg’s UConn visit began Friday and will go through the weekend.
Flagg, a 6-foot-8, 195-pound forward who can play just about every position, is entering his final year at high school hoops powerhouse Montverde Academy, where he is coached by Kevin Boyle.
Hurley and assistants Kimani Young and Luke Murray sat courtside at the Peach Jam in July, where Flagg put on an “all-time” performance, as FOX Sports’ John Fanta put it. Flagg averaged 25.4 points, 13 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 6.8 blocks per game as he played for his AAU team, Maine United, in the EYBL tournament. He stood out in games against Cam Boozer, the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2025 and the son of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer.
UConn, according to 247Sports’ Kevin Flaherty, is considered Duke’s biggest threat in Flagg’s recruitment. The optimism from UConn fans comes from Storrs’ close proximity to Flagg’s hometown of Newport, Maine, the fact that his mother played basketball with Donovan Clingan’s late mother at the University of Maine. Hurley’s ability to connect with recruits and, of course, last year’s dominant NCAA Tournament run also gives the Huskies a boost.