Duke legend Coach K crowns projected No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg as best Blue Devils' freshman of all time

Former Duke star Cooper Flagg has been projected as the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft in several mock drafts, including ESPN and CBS Sports. Flagg won the prestigious Wooden Award for his stellar performances in his sole season in college basketball.

Flagg has garnered praise from both fans and analysts, and during a segment of "SiriusXM," legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who oversaw the Blue Devils for 42 years and produced several NBA stars, paid the class of 2025 prospect the ultimate compliment.

"Grant [Hill] is the best player to ever play at Duke — [Christian] Laettner [is] the most accomplished," Coach K said during the Final Four. "And we’ve had great, great players. Cooper, in his freshman year, is definitely the best freshman that has ever played here. And I think he’s going to win some or all of the Player of the Year awards.

"I’ll say this: if Grant Hill were on this team, he would be a different player than he was as a freshman with [Bobby] Hurley and Laettner — because Hurley and Laettner wouldn’t be on this team.

"They’d be in the pros. So it’s a different time, is what I’m saying. [Cooper] is great, and he’s been given that role — and not only has he done it, he’s exceeded it. And he continues to define what that role is. It’s a different role than he had at the start of the season because he’s developed so much. He’s a great, great player with a truly amazing future."

Coach K compared the talented Cooper Flagg to Blue Devils' royalty in Christian Laettner and Grant Hill. Laettner was a four-year starter for Duke under Coach K (1988-1992) and he led the Blue Devils to two national championships while winning the National Player of the Year Award in 1992. His number 32 was retired by the Blue Devils in 1992.

Hill was a core part of Coach K's team that repeated as national champions (1991 & 1992) and was named the 1994 ACC Player of the Year, showing the caliber of players Flagg was compared to.

Cooper Flagg was scouted by Coach K

Cooper Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists for the Duke Blue Devils under Coach K's successor Jon Scheyer last season, even as they fell short of a national championship after a stunning comeback by the Houston Cougars in the Final Four.

Before he committed to Duke, Flagg starred for Montverde Academy, Maine, and was highly recruited before his final decision boiled down to the UConn Huskies or the Blue Devils.

During a segment of "The Herd," Coach K, who retired in 2022, revealed that he had scouted a young Flagg before retiring as Duke's coach

"You know, I do not (remember first seeing Cooper Flagg), because I'm three years retired, so Scheyer must have seen him when he was 14, but I did see him when he was at Montverde," Coach K said. "And I knew he was special, but because they had so much talent, they didn't realize how special he is, and this kid plays every play hard, every play."

Cooper Flagg has been paired with the Dallas Mavericks in several mock drafts after the franchise won the lottery and will have the No. 1 pick during the 2025 NBA draft.