Flagg named the AP men’s player of the year

SAN ANTONIO — Cooper Flagg and his Duke teammates were days away from clinching a spot in the Final Four, and the Blue Devils’ freshman star was planning ahead.

It wasn’t about anything on the court, though. It was to be ready the next time teammates Khaman Maluach and Patrick Ngongba broke out water guns at the cold tubs.

“I’m definitely ordering one as well,” Flagg said with a grin, a nod to the fact that he’s still “just being a kid.”

Maybe so, but the the 18-year-old’s game has been far more advanced than his age from the opening tip of his college debut. Scoring. Rebounding. Setting up teammates as a playmaker, then aiding them as a defender. He did it all amid high expectations as the potential No. 1 overall NBA draft prospect, the driving force with a relentless competitive edge and mature focus for a team now two wins from a national championship.

It is why Flagg was named The Associated Press men’s college basketball national player of the year on Friday, becoming only the fourth freshman to win the award in its 64-year history.

The 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward from Newport, Maine, won a two-man race with Auburn star Johni Broome. Both players were unanimous first-team AP All-Americans with teams at the Final Four, and they were the only two to receive player-of-the-year votes — though Flagg earned 41 of 61 votes from AP Top 25 voters.

Flagg joins Duke’s Zion Williamson (2019), Kentucky’s Anthony Davis (2012) and Texas star Kevin Durant (2007) as freshman winners. Each went either No. 1 or No. 2 overall in the NBA draft a few months later. Flagg is the eighth Duke player to win the award, most of any program.

Roughly 15 family members and friends came to San Antonio to be there for Flagg’s news conference for the awards. The Duke team and staff joined as well, with coach Jon Scheyer watching with a big smile and teammates offering their own fist-pumping cheers from a back row of chairs.

“He plays so hard, he’s competitive, a great teammate,” Scheyer said after the Blue Devils’ home finale, “and obviously his ability is special.”

Flagg was just 17 when he arrived at Duke after reclassifying to graduate early from high school. Yet he has exceeded all hype as the nation’s top-ranked recruit, with Flagg leading Duke in scoring (18.9 points per game), rebounding (7.5), assists (4.2) and steals (1.4) while ranking second in blocks.