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Duke's Cooper Flagg Reacts to Wooden Award Announcement

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Escarpio | Last updated Apr 12, 2025 11:33 AM ET

Cooper Flagg recently capped off his freshman season at Duke, leaving a lasting legacy on college basketball.

During his first season with the Blue Devils, Flagg received several prestigious honors, including the Naismith Player of the Year award and AP National Player of the Year.

Flagg was also the recipient of the Wooden Award, given to the most outstanding player in college basketball.

After receiving the award in Los Angeles, Flagg sat down with ESPN to discuss his freshman season at Duke while sharing his thoughts on the prestigious honor.

“As I’ve kind of come out here and I heard a little bit more and more Coach Wooden and what not, I think it’s the legacy that comes with this award and what makes it so prestigious,” Flagg said. “I think it’s just the legacy that he left behind and what it means to win this award.”

Flagg earned the Wooden Award over a number of stars in the college basketball world, including Auburn’s Johni Broome, Purdue’s Braden Smith and Alabama’s Mark Sears.

Flagg is the only first-year player in ACC history to lead his respective team in all five major statistical categories. The Duke star averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.

Flagg led Duke to a 35-4 record, defeating Alabama, Arizona, Baylor and Mount Saint Mary’s in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils won the ACC regular season and conference tournament titles.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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