Montverde Academy’s Cooper Flagg dribbles down the court during a Jan. 6 game against CATS Academy Boston at Portland Expo. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer
Another national accolade could be heading Cooper Flagg’s way as his high school basketball career nears its end.
Flagg, a senior at Montverde Academy in Florida and former Nokomis High standout, was announced as a finalist for the Gatorade National Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year award Thursday. The Newport native is in the running, along with Airious Bailey of Powder Springs, Georgia, and VJ Edgecombe of Brookville, New York.
Flagg, the No. 1 prospect according to ESPN and a Duke University commit, has already begun raking in season awards. He was named the Naismith Player of the Year earlier in the month as the best high school player in the country, in a season in which he has averaged 16.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.7 blocks and 1.6 steals per game. His rebounding, steals and blocks averages lead a team that has gone 30-0 and is ranked No. 1 in the country.
The list of Gatorade Player of the Year award winners includes Jayson Tatum, Ben Simmons, Karl-Anthony Towns and LeBron James.
Flagg committed to Duke at the end of October. Bailey, ESPN’s No. 2 prospect in the Class of 2024 behind Flagg, is committed to Rutgers. Edgecombe, the No. 4 prospect, is a Baylor commit.
The 6-foot-9 Flagg began his high school basketball career in Maine, leading Nokomis to the 2022 Class A title. He averaged 20.5 points, 10 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 3.7 steals and 3.7 blocks, then capped off his season with 22 points and 16 assists against Falmouth in the Class A final.
This year, Flagg returned to Maine in January to play a pair of games with Montverde at the Cross Insurance Arena and Portland Expo. Montverde beat Gonzaga College High School of Washington, D.C. and CATS Academy Boston of Braintree, Massachusetts, with Flagg averaging 26 points, 9.5 rebounds and 5.5 blocks in the two contests.
Also Thursday, Flagg was named a state player of the year by Gatorade for the second time, and in a second state. He was the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year in 2021-22 as a freshman at Nokomis.
This year’s Maine Gatorade Player of the Year is Pierce Walston of Orono. A 6-foot guard, Walton averaged 17.8 points, 6.8 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 3.4 steals while leading the Red Riots to a second straight Class B state championship. He scored 16 points in a 56-48 win over previously undefeated Oceanside in the state final.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.