To no one’s surprise, Cooper Flagg is the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
The 6-foot-9 Duke commit from Newport had previously been recognized as the Naismith High School Player of the Year Award two weeks ago, as a McDonald’s All-American in January and as the nation’s No. 1 prospect in September.
Flagg was tabbed as a finalist for the Gatorade award last week.
Flagg himself, however, was surprised to see Blue Devil alumnus and Orlando Magic All-Star Paolo Banchero present him with the award early Wednesday morning, at the Montverde Academy Gymnasium in Florida — just a half hour away from the Magic’s training facilities in downtown Orlando.
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It was a full-circle moment for Flagg, who became the first ever freshman to win Maine Gatorade Player of the Year in March 2022, following in the footsteps of greats like Nik Caner-Medley of Deering (2002) and Chris Markwood of South Portland (2000).
In the summer of 2022, Flagg and younger brother Ace transferred from Nokomis Regional to Montverde Academy, and less than two years later, Flagg is now Florida’s — and the nation’s — Player of the Year.
“Cooper is very deserving of the highest individual basketball honors. He’s earned the recognition through all of the hard work and dedication to his craft up to this point in his career, and I’m obviously very proud of him,” Maine United AAU coach and Results Basketball (Veazie) founder Matt MacKenzie said.
“While he’s honored and recognizes the significance of these awards, Cooper’s main focus is on leading his team to a national championship in April.”
With a perfect 30-0 record, the Montverde Academy boys basketball team boasts the No. 1 ranking in the nation. The Eagles will compete for the Chipotle National title in Indiana from April 4-6, in a bracket style competition against the seven other best boys basketball teams in the country.
Flagg has averaged 16.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.7 blocks (leads team) and 1.6 steals (leads team) this past season, shooting 54.8 percent from the field through 30 games played.
“Cooper Flagg stands out from the crowd for his versatility, intensity and commitment to playing on both sides of the ball,” said Eric Rossi, 247 Sports Director of Basketball.
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“In a situation where he was the lone star player, he would put up monster scoring numbers, but his selflessness and ability to still produce at a high level on a very complete roster really stands out. He has positional versatility, size and is arguably the best defensive player in the class of 2024. Bottom line, he’s the ultimate competitor and a true winner who is very deserving of all the accolades he’s received.”
Previous winners of the Gatorade National Basketball Award include Gradey Dick of the Toronto Raptors (2022), Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder (2021), Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics (2016) and LeBron James (2002, 2003).