Cooper and Ace Flagg’s Montverde Academy basketball team has been the top-ranked team in the nation all year. This weekend in Las Vegas, they played in front of a national audience and impressed everyone, including NBA executives. Montverde from Florida defeated No. 3 Link Academy from Missouri 71-59 on Friday and No. 9 AZ Compass Prep from Arizona 58-46 on Saturday. These games were part of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic Showcase, featuring five selected teams from the EYBL circuit.
With these victories, Montverde remains undefeated at 9-0. They have beaten some of the best teams in the country, including No. 3, No. 4 (Columbus), No. 6 (IMG Academy), No. 8 (Wasatch Academy), and No. 9, with an average winning margin of 20.8 points. This solidifies their position as the nation’s top team, and Cooper Flagg is recognized as the No. 1 player in the country.
The star of the show was undoubtedly Montverde’s Cooper Flagg, a 6-foot-9 wing from Maine and Duke commit, considered the No. 1 NBA prospect in his class. Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey noted after the games that Cooper lived up to the hype, showcasing his skills.
NBA legends and executives like Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Garnett, Jazz general manager Danny Ainge, Celtics assistant general manager Austin Ainge, and Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka were present at the games.
Cooper played a crucial role, sharing the ball with other highly-rated recruits in Montverde uniforms. On Friday, he scored 15 points and grabbed nine boards, followed by 12 points, five rebounds, and three blocks on Saturday.
According to Bailey, “Flagg can get up. And he can get up in a hurry. There’s no doubt, even in this somewhat unrefined form, that Flagg’s physical tools are NBA level.”
Throughout the season, Cooper has been a key player for the Eagles, ranking as the second-best scorer (14.0 ppg), second-best rebounder (7.3 rpg), second-best assist man (5.3 apg), top ball-stealer (2.0 spg), and top shot blocker (1.7 bpg).
