Hype. Before freshman phenom Cooper Flagg stepped foot onto the campus of Duke University, there was already an abundance of ‘hype’ surrounding his name. Whether it was his various high school highlight packages on social media, or the fact that every major sports analyst had him as the best recruit in the country; this kid was something special, right from the get-go.

He was pegged as a ‘unicorn,’ for lack of a better term. His freakish combination of size, athleticism, and basketball IQ won the country over very quickly. The amount of raw skill that Flagg displayed at such a young age had people jumping onto his bandwagon very early, and had boosters across the country wondering how much money they would need to fork over to bring him to their school.

Flagg’s talents are otherworldly, and with the Blue Devils on the precipice of a title (as of writing this)…..it looks like the Maine product is officially being recognized for his game by the Associated Press.

✅ AP NPOY
✅ Oscar Robertson NPOY
✅ NABC NPOY

TBD: Naismith, Wooden

🏆 @Cooper_Flagg pic.twitter.com/d0e2ksFWqu

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) April 4, 2025

Flagg, for those of you who are unaware, played in 36 games for Jon Scheyer’s bunch this season. In those 36 games, he was able to post a team-leading stat-line consisting of;

18.9 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 4.2 APG, 48.3 FG%

He was a top-tier talent in the ACC this season, putting up monstrous numbers against the likes of Arizona (30 Pts.), Wake Forest (28 Pts.), Virginia (17 Pts, 14 Reb.), and even the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (42 Pts). He was a dynamic human to have in the blue and white, and he will now join Zion Willliamson, Anthony Davis, and Kevin Durant as the only freshman to win the award.

Flagg did beat out fellow Final Four star Johni Broome for POY, who had a miraculous season of his own for Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers. In 35 games, the senior forward from Plant City, FL was able to post 18.7 points, 10.9 boards, and 2.9 assists per game on 51.2% shooting from the field. Sadly though, he didn’t get enough votes to take home the hardware, losing to Cooper 41 to 20.

The question that’s on everyone’s mind though is……will the future #1 overall pick sweep the awards this April? Will he pick up the Naismith and the Wooden, and cement his legacy as a legend of the NCAA?

Personally, when it comes to Flagg as a player…..I think you have to give it to him. Cooper Flagg is a freak athlete, and has all of the intangibles that you look for when handing out these awards. But when it comes to the resumé that he and Broome put in front of us……I think there’s a case to be made for Broome. He was THE GUY on Auburn all season long, and was the key cog to their overall success. If it wasn’t for Broome……I think it’s safe to say that Auburn doesn’t make the Final Four.

Would I vote for Cooper? Absolutely! But I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m swayed by the end of the tournament, or the committee who holds the power makes it a dog-fight (of sorts).

It should be fun. But in the end, as always…..what do I know? I’m just a guy from the Midwest, with a beer and a laptop, trying to make sense of this world.