Former Syracuse Orange head coach Jim Boeheim has seen countless special players come and go through the collegiate ranks over the course of his illustrious coaching career. But when speaking about Duke freshman sensation Cooper Flagg, Boeheim had a comparison that very few players have ever gotten.
Boeheim spoke about Flagg during an appearance on Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich, the former national championship-winning coach opened up about the high regard that he holds Flagg in as a talent, comparing his game to the great Larry Bird.
“I think to me, he’s Bird-like a little bit,” Boeheim said. “Except, he’s, you know, quicker, faster, more athletic. He doesn’t shoot (the ball) as well, but his shot is coming. His shot is there; it may not be there this year, but it’s there. He’s got a good release. People that say other people are better than him just don’t know anything about basketball. I mean, it’s just crazy. I don’t know what they’re watching, maybe they’re just trying to be contrarian or something, I don’t know, but Cooper Flagg, he’s the best all-around player — in terms of doing all the things in college basketball — that I’ve seen.”
Boeheim further alluded to the “edge” that Flagg plays with as something that sets him apart from other great players he has seen.
“The thing that he has, and I’ve talked to Coach K about this. He has an edge to him,” Boeheim added. “He’s not backing down from nobody.”
Flagg of course has Duke in the position to be serious contenders to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, currently sitting as the No. 2 ranked team in the country at 24-3 on the season.
His individual play has also been exceptional, leading Duke in nearly every statistical category, including points per game at 19.5 on the year.
Only time will tell whether his skills will translate at the NBA level. But clearly, Flagg profiles to be perhaps the most hyped-up NBA prospect coming from the college game in quite some time, which has done wonders for the interest in college basketball amongst fans this season.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.