Regardless of ranking, Duke basketball has a treasure on the way in Cooper Flagg.
Duke basketball recruiting prize Cooper Flagg sits atop the 247Sports 2024 Composite. He boasts a perfect 1.0000 composite rating, meaning all of the leading recruiting sites place him at No. 1 in the class.
If that stands, the 6-foot-9, 200-pound five-star forward would join fellow Montverde Academy (Fla.) product RJ Barrett as the only Blue Devils to arrive in Durham with the highest possible rating across the roughly 20 years of composite scores that 247Sports has on record.
But Flagg’s top-dog status might not stand, according to 247Sports director of basketball scouting Adam Finkelstein.
On Monday, Finkelstein explained how McEachern (Ga.) forward Ace Bailey, one of the two Rutgers signees among the top three prospects in the cycle, is “making his case” to overtake the future Blue Devil. He teased his article on social media by asking, “Could the new year bring a new number one in the class of 2024?”
After noting Bailey’s 40 points and 21 rebounds in a recent outing and his marked improvement across the past several months, Finkelstein summarized where he thinks the 6-foot-8, 195-pound five-star should rank among his peers:
“To put it plainly, he’s now proven he’s one of the two best prospects in the country — and a legitimate contender for the No. 1 spot.”
Sure, Flagg hasn’t posted 40 and 21 in a game. Then again, his box scores are undeniably extraordinary, even more so when considering his production comes for the undisputed No. 1 prep team in the country.
Still, most of Finkelstein’s scouting report on Bailey could double as an assessment of Flagg’s game. One part that wouldn’t be fitting for Flagg, though, is the following critique of Bailey as a relatively unpolished defender:
“Defensively, he’s not always in a great stance, doesn’t always see man and ball, and makes some plays based on sheer physical tools and competitiveness.”
While Cooper Flagg also enjoys “sheer physical tools and competitiveness,” no reasonable observer would question his court awareness and off-the-charts hoops IQ on either end of the floor. Yes, his commanding presence stands out in seemingly every contest.
In other words, if based on current abilities over potential, one could say the battle for the top spot is no contest, as Flagg is arguably the most advanced high school talent in years.
Flagg is among five Duke basketball pledges who inked their national letter of intent during the early signing period. The haul ranks No. 1.
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