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Duke freshmen shine in their college debuts against Maine
The No. 7 Duke Blue Devils boast two of the top college basketball recruits in the nation and both balled out on opening night against Maine on Monday.
Freshmen Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel guided the team to a commanding 96-62 win over the Black Bears, combining to score nearly 42% of the team's total points.
Flagg, the No. 1 recruit in the nation per ESPN's Top 100 list, distributed the ball efficiently around the court, racking up seven rebounds and five assists.
He also displayed his highly touted scoring prowess, putting up 18 points including a first half dunk that got Cameron Indoor Arena buzzing early.
COOOOOOP (ACCN) pic.twitter.com/K9gkbl04Xu
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) November 5, 2024
Flagg is the third No. 1 overall recruit to play for the Blue Devils in the last seven years (R.J. Barrett, Marvin Bagley).
The six-foot-nine 17-year-old hails from Newport, Maine but played his high school ball at Montverde Academy in Florida. He reclassified to the class of 2024 and enrolled at Duke in the summer to participate in the team's offseason camp.
Monday's matchup with the Black Bears was no coincidence on Duke's schedule. Flagg's mother played collegiately for Maine and his twin brother, Ace, is committed to the program starting in 2025. Head coach Jon Scheyer told the ACCN broadcast it was the team's way of honoring the Flagg family.
Flagg is one of the most anticipated freshmen entering this season, signing a shoe deal with New Balance and becoming the first men's college basketball player to be sponsored by Gatorade. His NIL value is estimated to be $2.6M according to Sports Illustrated.
Working in tandem with Flagg was Knueppel, the No. 19 overall recruit this year. He led the team in scoring with 22 points, splashing a treble of critical three pointers.
Kon Knueppel might be the most polished scorer in college basketball this season, and he’s only a freshman.
— Joe Doerrer (@jd3hoops) November 5, 2024
This 4 point play gave him 13 PTS through the first 7 minutes of his college career. pic.twitter.com/WtxNBCSlYH
The duo's performance Monday appeared to be a continuation of the team's domination of Arizona State in a charity exhibition on Oct. 27.
Flagg and Knueppel combined for 28 points, seven assists and nine rebounds in the 103-47 thumping over the Sun Devils.
Duke will next face Army at home on Friday before traveling to Atlanta on Nov. 12 for a marquee matchup against No. 23 Kentucky.
More must-reads:
- Ohio State drains 14 threes in upset win over No. 19 Texas
- Pair of SEC teams lose their season openers with late collapses
- The 'NFL mascot names' quiz
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