Cooper Flagg Named Mr. Basketball USA!

Duke-bound small ahead from FAB 50 nationwide champ Montverde Academy (Fla.) makes historical past in being named 2024 Mr. Basketball USA by Ballislife.com. The spectacular all-around expertise initially from Maine is the fifth honoree for the nation’s highest particular person highschool basketball honor from Montverde Academy prior to now 10 seasons. Flagg is joined by 5 different nationwide participant of the yr candidates on all 10 ballots within the remaining Mr. Basketball USA Tracker balloting. The primary Mr. Basketball USA Tracker was carried out in 2008, the primary actual time alternative got here in 1996 and our retroactive picks date again to 1955.

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Elite highschool expertise performs nice, irrespective of the scenario or program. Some elite skills are lucky to play with different good expertise round them, whereas others should carry lesser groups. In as we speak’s atmosphere, an ideal expertise might be discovered and promoted on social media, so it is uncommon when an ideal expertise goes unappreciated.

For Cooper Flagg of Montverde Academy (Fla.), his distinctive skills coincide together with his distinctive scenario on the nation’s greatest workforce. He starred with a bunch of gamers who had been All-People in their very own proper, the Eagles began off No. 1 within the FAB 50 and had been anticipated to dominate the 2023-24 highschool scene. The workforce did not skip a beat, finishing 33-0 and their particular person skills had been acknowledged by the 10-man Mr. Basketball USA Tracker panel.

It might be simple to miss particular person brilliance on a workforce as gifted as Montverde Academy, or to dismiss the success as merely stock-piling expertise, however at least 4 MVA gamers obtained recognition as nationwide participant of the yr candidates. On a workforce with loads of stars and in a yr with loads of viable candidates, Flagg stood out, topping the voting within the remaining tracker, and as we speak is honored with the title of 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA.

“Cooper is not only an ideal participant, he is an infectious chief with a piece ethic and an strategy that separates him from all gamers in his class,” mentioned Montverde Academy coach Kevin Boyle. “Cooper would not play basketball to attain factors or be well-liked; this child performs the sport to win and be a champion. There is no one like Cooper Flagg.”

Flagg did have an abundance of expertise round him and that’s mirrored within the remaining voting. Maryland-bound teammate Derik Queen completed sixth within the voting whereas showing on eight of 10 ballots. UConn-bound wing Liam McNeeley and level guard Curtis Givens additionally had been amongst 31 candidates who obtained recognition for the production-based nationwide participant of the yr honor chosen by Ballislife’s 10-man panel of nationwide scouts. Flagg was one in every of 4 candidates to look on all ten ballots, an unusually excessive quantity on the finish of the season.

Montverde Academy solely had three video games determined by single-digits, but defeated 24 teams that were FAB 50 ranked sooner or later throughout the season, as individually Flagg met each problem and carried out nicely on the massive stage. For the season, the Duke commit averaged 16.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 3.9 apg, 2.7 bpg and 1.6 spg, whereas taking pictures 54.7 % from the sector and 35.2 % from 3-point vary. At Chipotle Nationals, Flagg averaged 20.0 ppg and seven.0 rpg in three victories and blocked six pictures within the title recreation win over No. 3 Paul VI (Va.).

“Flagg is the most effective ‘participant/prospect’ out of the U.S. highschool ranks in a few years, maybe since Anthony Davis,” mentioned panel member and U.S. Basketball Writers Affiliation Corridor of Famer Frank Burlison. “He has the flexibility to be a dominant faculty participant in each side of the sport in what might be his solely faculty season.”

Flagg is the fourth Duke-bound Mr. Basketball USA, becoming a member of 1985 honoree Danny Ferry, 2018 alternative RJ Barrett and Dariq Whitehead for the 2021-22 season. He’s the fifth honoree from Montverde Academy prior to now 10 seasons, becoming a member of Ben Simmons in 2015, Barrett, Cade Cunningham in 2020 and Whitehead. Boyle has now coached six nationwide gamers of the yr, as Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was the selection in Boyle’s remaining season at St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) in 2010-11.

“Cooper understands the expectations which have been constructed round him and in his two years at Montverde, his skillset has developed to a sophisticated stage,” Boyle mentioned. “Most of all the child’s success stems from his potential to compartmentalize and mentally put together for the largest moments, higher than anybody.”

Not solely was Cooper in a position to separate himself from a crowded pack, what made this yr’s Mr. Basketball USA race so distinctive is that Flagg re-classified up throughout the low season and final season’s honoree, Cameron Boozer of Columbus (Miami, Fla.) was returning for his junior marketing campaign after changing into the first tenth-grader ever to earn Mr. Basketball USA honors.

Flagg was a second 5 All-American Elite workforce choice as a tenth-grader, whereas Boozer earned prime honors. Regardless of Boozer having one other terrific marketing campaign, Flagg’s mixture of expertise and workforce success was the distinction. Boozer was one of many 4 gamers to look on all ten ballots, tallying 78 whole factors, however zero first place votes. He did obtain two second-place and 6 third-place votes after averaging 22.2 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.1 bpg whereas taking pictures 62 % from the sector (234-378), 41 % from the 3-point line (43-105) and 82 % from the free throw line (155-188) for a workforce that gained its third consecutive FHSAA Class 7A state title and completed No. 2 within the FAB 50.

“The hole between Boozer and Flagg as a ‘prospect/participant’ is way slimmer than that between he and anybody under Boozer on my listing, with every of 3-thru-10 nearly interchangeable, relying on the time of day,” Burlison mentioned. “Virtually “underrated” now – as loopy as that sounds – due to the elevation of the nationwide perspective over the previous yr or so of Flagg and A.J. Dybansta.”

Flagg tallied eight first place votes (10 factors every), one second and one fourth place vote for his 96 whole factors. Just one different candidate obtained a primary place vote, as Rutgers-bound level guard Dylan Harper obtained the opposite two that Flagg did not obtain after main Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) to the New Jersey Non-Public A state title and No. 19 FAB 50 rating with a 29-3 report. Harper closed sturdy, as he was named co-MVP of the McDonald’s All American Sport with 22 factors and 5 assists and made the game-winning shot on the Jordan Model Basic, ending with a game-high 30 factors.

The opposite prospect to look in all 10 remaining ballots was one other elite participant who re-classed up within the low season. A.J. Dybansta of Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) is one other tremendous junior who might problem Boozer for probably the most prestigious production-based honor in highschool basketball in 2024-25. As this yr clearly proved, every season is its personal entity and the method will begin over again with a clear slate for every participant as soon as the 2024-25 season commences.

So far as 2023-24 goes, it is unattainable to disclaim Flagg’s expertise and the affect it had on his workforce not tasting defeat from begin to end.

Editor’s Be aware: Click on on the “+” signal subsequent to every participant’s quantity to view what number of first, second, third or fourth place votes he bought and his general level whole. Earlier tracker outcomes are additionally listed (“Prev.”).

2022-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker Panel

Paul Biancardi, ESPN Nationwide Director of Basketball Recruiting
Frank Burlison, BurlisonOnBasketball.com Writer
Van Coleman, Nothing However Web Journal
Jordan Divens, Maxpreps.com Nationwide Basketball Editor
Ronnie Flores, Ballislife.com Nationwide Grassroots Editor
Chris Lawlor, Blue Star Media Nationwide Analyst
Horace Neysmith, AllMetroHoops.com
Patrick Stanwood, Patrick Stanwood Basketball
Dinos Trigonis, Fullcourt Press Editor & Writer
Ani Umana, 5StateHoopReport.com

About Basketball USA Tracker Panel
Ballislife.com’s panel of 10 consultants, which incorporates six McDonald’s All-American choice committee members, casts its vote for the highest nationwide participant of the yr candidates. Every panelist lists his prime seven candidates no matter class. The votes are then tabulated on a 10-point scoring system with a first-place vote equaling 10 factors, a second-place vote incomes 9 factors and all the way down to 4 factors for a seventh-place vote. The quantity in parenthesis refers back to the numbers of ballots on which a participant appeared and former rankings refers to place within the earlier tracker.

For the all-time listing of Mr. Basketball USA honorees, CLICK HERE.

Ronnie Flores is the nationwide Grassroots editor of Ballislife.com. He might be reached at [email protected]. Remember to comply with him on Twitter: @RonMFlores