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Tim Bontemps, ESPN
LAS VEGAS — When Cooper Flagg got the call from Team USA executive director Grant Hill informing him he’d be part of a select squad at Team USA training camp ahead of the Paris Olympics, he didn’t expect the honor of being the first college athlete in more than a decade to attend the camp.
“I was pretty surprised because it’s not something that happens normally,” Flagg told ESPN on Sunday after playing his first scrimmage with the star-studded men’s national team, “so I was really honored and excited to have this opportunity.”
“If you think about it, you can learn from them. If you look at their team, there’s nobody better than them. So it’s been a great experience to come here and learn from and I feel really humbled and really grateful and blessed that I was selected.”
Flagg, a 6-foot-9 forward who will play at Duke University this fall, is projected by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. This is a strong draft class, and several teams have appeared to take steps to prepare for it over the past few weeks.
The 17-year-old had a phenomenal season in the Nike EYBL league, averaging 26.8 points, 12.4 rebounds, 5.2 blocks and 4.7 assists per game while leading Florida’s Montverde Academy to a 30-0 record and a national title while also appearing in the Nike Hoop Summit and other high school all-star games.
As a result, Team USA selected him as the first college player to attend training camp since Marcus Smart and Doug McDermott in 2013, and according to Team USA coach Jamal Mosley, he has adapted well enough to the team.
“Well, I’ve never had any exposure to him, but just seeing him and talking to him the other day on the first day of practice, you just see that quiet confidence that he has,” Orlando Magic head coach Mosley told ESPN. “He not only knows what he’s capable of doing, but he’s also humbled and aware that, ‘I’m still figuring some things out at this level,’ but he’s not afraid to do that. That’s one of the things you see right away.”
“[He has a] “High basketball IQ, tough, willing to learn,” Mosley continued. “He gets where he needs to be to make the shot, he gets to the rim and he has great touch.”
“So, he can play. There’s no in-between. I’m just saying he can play, in a variety of ways.”
Flagg, meanwhile, admitted he was in awe, at least at first, the moment he stepped onto the court for the first time in Sunday’s scrimmage.
“I was a little surprised when I first got here,” Flagg said, “but when the ball goes up, it’s basketball at the end of the day.”
“We’re all really good players and I’ve always respected everyone on my team, but once the game started it was just about competing.”
Flagg’s parents were there to watch him attend. Flagg said he was glad his parents were there to participate in the experience with him. Flagg was also joined by his Duke coach, John Scheyer. Flagg is expected to spend only one year at Duke before making the NBA. Flagg said he wants to use his time at the camp to learn as much as he can from the stars who could be in the league a year from now.
There’s a lot to absorb about this phenom who doesn’t turn 18 until December, having been born when Kevin Durant was a freshman at the University of Texas and LeBron James was already in the midst of his fourth NBA season.
“I think it’s everything,” Flagg said when asked what he’ll learn from the experience. “The way they carry themselves, the way they take care of themselves, the way they take care of their bodies, the way they prepare.”
“It’s really a learning curve and something you have to learn and you have to absorb it from other people and build your own routine. So I think I just look at all their routines and see how they interact with the trainers and other guys and see how they prepare.”
