Projected No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg reveals mom, Kelly Flagg's role in skipping high school year in favor of Duke

Cooper Flagg has been the talk of the town heading into the NBA draft on Wednesday. The Duke superstar is widely regarded as the No.1 pick and is on course to join the Dallas Cowboys, potentially.

Flagg originally attended Nokomis Regional High School, but transferred to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, after his freshman year. He played two years at Montverde and reclassified to the class of 2024 during the summer after his sophomore year with the team.

On Tuesday, Flagg recalled how his mother, Kelly Flagg, played a role in helping him skip a high school year before joining Duke.

“A quote my mom likes to say a lot: ‘If you’re the best player in the gym, then you need to find a new gym,'" Flagg said. "So, for me, it was thinking about what I had left to do in high school and how much that would push me to become a better player... I felt like it was time for me to get to a new environment and push myself to a higher level."

Ben Golliver

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Cooper Flagg, 18, on why he reclassified to graduate high school in three years and position himself as the youngest No. 1 NBA Draft pick since LeBron James: “A quote my mom likes to say a lot: ‘If you’re the best player in the gym, then you need to find a new gym.’”

Flagg left high school at 17. He is now 18 and is on course to be taken as the youngest No. 1 NBA draft pick since LeBron James in 2003.

How did Cooper Flagg fare in his lone season at Duke?

Duke star Cooper Flagg - Source: Getty

In his lone season at Duke, Cooper Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists. He helped the Blue Devils win the ACC regular season title and conference tournament title.

Flagg led Duke's offense in the NCAA Tournament as well and guided them to the Final Four. However, the Blue Devils missed out on playing in the championship game with a loss to Houston.

Flagg earned several honors during his time at Duke, including the National College Player of the Year award. He also won the Julius Erving Award and the Wayman Tisdale Award.

Now, it will be interesting if Flagg can win the big honors in the NBA.