Of the six states that make up New England, Maine is the only professional athletic success.
Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont have at least one native represented in one of the halls of fame for the North American 'Big 4' Sports. But not Maine.
Look for it. You will find an Olympic champion marathoner in Joan Benoit Samuelson and a twice gold winner in Seth Wescott. But no one from the state of Pine Tree can claim to be consecrated in Toronto, Cooperstown, Canton or Springfield.
But maybe, if we advance 25 years, that will change. And that's all thanks to Cooper Flagg.
The Prospect of High School No. 1 of consensus in the country last year is already the selection of consensus No. 1 in the NBA Draft this year. Flagg's elite athletics, shots and pass in a 6 -foot 9 frame makes it a unicorn of a player who could be one of the faces of the league in just a few years.
All those talents were exhibited on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden while Flagg and his third squadron from Duke Blue Devils sank Illinois Fighting Illini 110-67.
Duke Freshman Cooper Flagg showed why it is the best selection of presumption in the NBA Draft of 2025
Flagg fell 16 points to help bring the Blue Devils to an easy victory over Illinois in New York
FlagG was announced for a long time as the best player in the country at the high school level. After leaving Maine for the Montverde Academy of Florida, he shone against some of the best programs in the nation and attracted a lot of attention from universities.
According to all reports, Duke were the main ones for him during his recruitment.
Cooper's mother, Kelly, was a basketball player at Maine University. It was also an avid fan of Duke Christian Laettner's star, the most polarizing player in the history of university basketball, and expected her son to follow those steps.
Flagg could have stayed in New England. A late push from Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies made the commitment close a 50-50 decision when the time came.
A particularly moving moment in that impulse occurred when Flagg posed with the star of now in Portland Trail Blazers, Donavan Clingan. CLINGAN's late mother, Stacey, was one of Kelly Flagg's teammates in Umaine. So When the two children were photographed with their mother's shirtsIt was a special moment.
But Flagg stayed with his instinct, and with the team he had grown up idolizing all the time.
Now, Flagg's name has the opportunity to be one of Durham's many to go first: Art Heyman, Elton Brand, Kyrie Irving, Zion Williamson and Paolo Banchero.
That is not to include the litany of elite basketball stars that have touched the court in the Cameron Indoor Stadium: Grant Hill. JJ Redick. Jayson Tatum. Brandon Ingram. Grayson Allen. Shane Battier.
Flagg was destined to go to Duke and has lived up to his turnover as the main recruit in the country
But being a white child in this school comes with a reputation and its own set of challenges
Duke is a basketball school. Demons could be he Basketball School. With that comes the burning hatred of a thousand fires that extend far beyond the tobacco road.
Part of that is due to the success of the school, especially under the tutelage of Mike Krzyzewski, who took the Blue Devils to five national titles.
But the breed has also played a factor. The so -called 'White Villains' have been integrated into the school basketball program fabric for years, possibly obtaining more hate than any other. It's something Kelly and Cooper I spoke before committing.
Laettner was the plan. His dominant style was related to an attitude that could be called confidence or arrogance depending on who you have asked.
Redick was also subject to a lot of hate. It was also Grayson Allen, who essentially having been a shorter clone of Laettner in terms of aggressiveness both in the game and in words.
Flagg has not had that vitriol. It is not controversial like Laettner or Allen. It does not cause, outside your game on the court. It is that play that has it as one of the favorites to win the award to the national player of the year.
Okay, Flagg is not the only reason why the team is third in the nation. Kon Knueppel and Tyrese Average Tyrese guards of two -digit points and the unit is completed by Khaman Malauch to form one of the most complete teams in the country.
Tyrese Proctor (5) by Duke passes to Kasparras Jakucionis (32) from Illinois on Saturday night
Kon Knueppel (7) takes a chance about Tomislav Ivisic de Illinois (13) in Madison Square Garden
That was evident in Madison Square Garden. Illinois classified up to 13 in the nation at one time this year and presents a selection among the top five in the First Year Guard Lithuanian Kasparas Jakucionis.
But in the pre-game, all eyes were in Flagg. He led the Blue Devils of the costumes and threw an emphatic immersion in the warm -up.
Neither of the two lottery selections was particularly strong in the first half. Flagg obtained most of its points on the line and Jakuccionis did not start until later in the frame.
The good news, at least for Flagg, is that his teammates dominated while fighting. Proctor and the Isaiah Evans guard had two -digit digit points and the Sion James guard hit half of their shots from beyond the arch to ensure that the Blue Devils were 17 in half.
Flagg really appeared 40 seconds in the second half. A robbery led to a dump that took everyone in Royal Blue out of their seats.
Not even five minutes after the second half and Flagg was in full validity and essentially put the game out of reach. High flying here, fight for a rebound there, soft the plate to the wing as an additional advantage.
Illinois could not keep up. For a team that hung around Top-25 for so long, they were defensive abysmal.
Isaiah Evans (3) had a strong first half for the Blue Devils to help build a massive part -time advantage
Flagg then uploaded the intensity in the second half and ended the game too early
The rest of the game was a formality. Illinois ended up firing 37 percent from the floor and seven percent abysmal from the range of 3 points.
Flagg left the game with more than six minutes, ending with 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists, with ten of those points in the second half.
Of course, Duke has a reputation. Of course, many university basketball fans don't like them. But the fact is that this team plays great basketball. They work well together, organize a show and win, a lot.
March Madness is just around the corner. Do not be surprised if you celebrate parades in Durham, North Carolina, at the end of everything.