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Duke Commit Cooper Flagg Wins Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year Award 2024

Adam Wells

The accolades keep piling up for Duke commit Cooper Flagg, who has won the Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year Award 2024.

Orlando Magic All-Star Paolo Banchero surprised Flagg with the announcement on Wednesday.

Flagg beat out other finalists Airious Bailey and VJ Edgecombe for the award.

The 17-year-old Flagg has led Montverde Academy to a perfect 30-0 record during the 2023-24 season. He is averaging 16.1 points on 54.8 percent shooting, 7.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.7 blocks per game.

Flagg transferred to the Florida-based school at the end of his freshman year after initially attending Nokomis Regional High School in Newport, Maine.

Nokomis won the 2022 state title with a 43-27 victory over Falmouth. Flagg scored 22 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the victory.

In August 2023, Flagg announced he was reclassifying into the 2024 class. Two months later he announced his commitment to Duke in what looks like one of the best recruiting classes in recent memory.

The Blue Devils' 2024 class ranks first in 247Sports' composite rankings with six total commitments.

Flagg, who is widely regarded as the top NBA draft prospect in 2025, is the No. 1 overall prospect in the class. He will be joined in Cameron by Khaman Maluach (No. 3 overall), Isaiah Evans (No. 12), Kon Knueppel (No. 17) and Patrick Ngongba II (No. 18).

Flagg is the first Montverde Academy player to be named Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year since RJ Barrett in 2018.

Before putting a bow on his high-school career, Flagg will lead the Eagles into the Chipotle High School Nationals in Brownsburg, Indiana. Top-ranked Montverde Academy will take on Arizona Compass in the quarterfinals on April 4 at 8 p.m. ET.

   

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