Duke basketball freshman Cooper Flagg has landed the Oscar Robertson Trophy, handed out to the nation’s top player.
Entering his freshman season with some of the highest expectations that can be put on a player, Cooper Flagg has exceeded those and then some, putting together one of the all-time most impressive seasons by a Duke basketball talent.
In addition to leading the Blue Devils in every major statistic, Flagg’s competitiveness and defensive tenacity has helped cement a culture and standard as this year’s Duke basketball team aims to make a run to the Final Four and potentially cut down nets in April.
Those attributes and his play on the court have helped the phenom live up to expectations and receive some extra special recognition.
On Tuesday, it was announced that the 18-year-old had been awarded with the Oscar Robertson Trophy, which goes to the most outstanding NCAA Division I men’s basketball player, selected by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
He becomes the first freshman and the first Blue Devil to win the award since the 2018-19 season, in which eventual No. 1 draft pick Zion Williamson took home the honors in his lone season as a Duke basketball sensation.
Other former winners of the trophy to don the Blue Devil jersey are JJ Redick, Jason Williams, Shane Battier, Elton Brand, Christian Laettner, Danny Ferry and Art Heyman.
Flagg and the rest of the Duke basketball squad will look to continue their season on Thursday night, as the No. 1 seed Blue Devils take on No. 4 seed Arizona at 9:39 p.m. (CBS).