Duke basketball coaches watch prime target score 52 points

Cooper Flagg must have the Duke basketball staff dreaming of possibilities.

Prep ball might already be too simple for Montverde Academy (Fla.) and Maine United star Cooper Flagg. On Friday night in Atlanta, the Duke basketball recruiting team, including head coach Jon Scheyer, was on hand to witness one of the countless recent stellar displays from the 6-foot-8, 195-pound forward.

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Flagg, a five-star talent and mere 16-year-old who ranks No. 2 on the 247Sports 2025 Composite, scored 52 points in Maine United's first game of this grassroots season's first session of Nike EYBL E16 action. According to Recruits Zone, the performance set an EYBL single-game scoring record.

And get this: Flagg, who has admitted to growing up a Duke basketball fan, shot 16-for-18 from the field, 4-for-5 from deep, and 16-for-20 from the foul line while adding 12 rebounds and two assists. Talk about an efficient effort.

Cooper Flagg put up 52 POINTS in a game tonight 🤯 @NikeEYB pic.twitter.com/lOf4KX25Xs

— Overtime (@overtime) April 22, 2023

His well-beyond-his-years skills, including on the defensive end, appear to contain elements of several Blue Devil greats, notably Shane Battier, Christian Laettner, and even returning Duke sensation Kyle Filipowski. That said, Flagg seems to have more bounce than any of those three.

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Last May, Flagg joined Christopher Columbus High School (Fla.) and Nightrydas Elite twins Cameron Boozer and Cayden Boozer as extremely early recipients of offers from Scheyer and his crew on the 2025 recruiting trail. Cameron Boozer, a five-star forward, ranks No. 1 in the class, while his brother, a four-star guard, sits at No. 31. 

The Boozer twins, whose dad is 2001 Duke basketball national champ Carlos Boozer, and Cooper Flagg remain the only high school sophomores officially on the Blue Devils' wishlist.

That offer sheet hasn't yielded any commitments thus far. But no prospects in the class who rank in the top 50 have decided on a destination; they can't take official visits until their junior year.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for more Duke basketball recruiting updates.