Duke’s Cooper Flagg Unanimously Selected to AP All-America First Team

Cooper Flagg was named a consensus All-American on Tuesday.

Freshman phenom Cooper Flagg earned a spot on the AP All-America team Tuesday afternoon.

The Newport, Maine, native—along with Auburn’s Johni Broome—were unanimous first-team selections for the AP All-America team. They are joined by Alabama’s Mark Sears, Purdue’s Braden Smith, and Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. Flagg and Broome had both been on the preseason team, living up to the expectations set for them in October. The two players are likely contenders for the Wooden Award, college basketball’s top individual accolade.

Duke now leads the nation with 25 consensus first-team All-Americans in the modern era, and Flagg is the first Blue Devil since RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson in 2019 to earn the honor. He is also the first Duke freshman to be named to an AP All-America team since Paolo Banchero in 2022.

Flagg, recently named ACC Player of the Year, leads the Blue Devils in every major statistical category. He is averaging 18.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, with an undeniable impact on the defensive end for head coach Jon Scheyer’s squad. His three-level scoring has improved throughout the season, shooting 36.8% from three and 83% from the free-throw line.

The 6-foot-9 forward sustained a left ankle injury in Duke’s ACC Tournament quarterfinal win over Georgia Tech. Although he missed the final two games of the Blue Devils’ ACC championship run, Scheyer mentioned that Flagg is progressing well and is expected to be “ready to go right away in the NCAA Tournament.”

Duke, the No. 1 seed in the East Region, will begin its NCAA Tournament campaign Friday at 2:50 p.m. in Raleigh, facing the winner of American and Mount St. Mary’s.