Photo credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
WATCH: Duke Basketball Prize Takes Flight Despite Limited Action
Sometimes, it's just plain cruel to an opponent for Montverde Academy (Fla.) to employ the next-level talents of future Duke basketball forward Cooper Flagg more than a dozen minutes or so.
That was the case on Thursday night in the squad's 127-40 win over Imani Christian (Pa.) at the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament.
Flagg, No. 1 overall on the 247Sports 2024 Composite and one of five early signees in the Blue Devils' top-ranked class, came off the bench and played only 12 minutes for nation's premier prep team, now 22-0 this season. Again, any more minutes than that against the overmatched visitors would've come across as unfair.
Even so, the 16-year-old phenom managed to post 13 points, six rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and zero turnovers while shooting 5-for-8 from the field, 1-for-3 from downtown, and 2-for-2 at the foul line. Not bad for a guy who received fewer minutes than any of his 10 teammates who contributed to the blowout.
As evident in the Cooper Flagg highlights below, courtesy of the NBA Future Starts Now account, several of the 6-foot-9, 200-pound five-star's buckets were of the high-flying variety. Once again, he put his long strides, spin-cycle moves, go-go-gadget arms, and pogo-stick hops on full display:
Earlier this week, Flagg surprised no one by becoming a McDonald's All-American alongside another 2024 Duke basketball five-star in North Meck (N.C.) forward Isaiah Evans.
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Cooper Flagg updates and other Duke basketball recruiting news.