Duke Basketball: Cooper Flagg Surprised by Blue Devil Legend

Future Duke basketball forward Cooper Flagg was all smiles when he saw Paolo Banchero walk in his gym this week.

Duke basketball recruiting signee Cooper Flagg / Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

Duke basketball signee Cooper Flagg got his first true taste of "The Brotherhood" this week when he got a surprise visitor during practice.

With a phenomenal high school career that saw Flagg win a state championship at Nokomis Regional High School (Maine) before moving on to Montverde Academy (Fla.), the incoming Blue Devil may
have just had his most impressive moment.

Flagg, who ranks No. 1 on the 247Sports 2024 Composite, was recently named the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year. He found out he was the winner when a special someone walked into Flagg’s Montverde gymnasium hoisting the trophy. That someone was Paolo Banchero, a former All-American who led the Blue Devils to their most recent Final Four in 2022 before becoming the number one overall pick in the following NBA Draft.

Banchero, who won the Washington Gatorade Player of the Year in his senior year of high school, made the nearly 30-minute trip from the Orlando Magic’s training facility over to Montverde to present Flagg with the trophy before the two posed for a photo.

Paolo Banchero surprised future Duke star Cooper Flagg with the Gatorade Player of the Year award 🏆

Can Flagg lead the Blue Devils to a National Championship in the near future?pic.twitter.com/kL2GC2ZwLo

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 27, 2024

Flagg previously was named Maine Gatorade Player of the Year during his freshman year, and
became the fourth Blue Devil all-time to win the national award. The most recent winner was RJ Barrett, who also played at Montverde, back in 2018.

The 6-foot-9 senior still has a few more opportunities to show off his skills before he sets foot on campus, with Flagg set to participate in the McDonald’s All-American game next Tuesday before he and Montverde look to cap off an undefeated season with a national championship.

Flagg is the headliner of the Blue Devils' top-rated incoming freshman class, joining Khaman Maluach, Patrick Ngongba II, Isaiah Evans, Kon Knueppel, and Darren Harris in Durham next season.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI for more Duke basketball recruiting news.