Maine’s Cooper Flagg Powers Duke with Dunk for the Ages

It's been quite the year so far for Maine's own Cooper Flagg.

Duke's Freshman Basketball Star

The freshman basketball sensation seems to be enjoying his time at Duke University. The Blue Devils are currently one of the best teams in the nation and will undoubtedly have a great shot at making a run to the Final Four this year.

A lot of that has to do with Flagg, who has been quite the leader on the floor for Duke. At the time of publishing this article, the Newport native leads the team in points (17.5 per game), rebounds (8.5), assists (3.7), blocks (1.6), and steals (1.3). That is simply unheard of. It's one thing to lead in a few of the major categories, but all of them? That's some serious baller status.

The team also hasn't lost a game since November, so things seem pretty good right now down in Durham.

Cooper Flag's Remarkable Dunk

All of his great play was on display for Flagg and Duke recently in an ACC conference matchup against the Pittsburgh Panthers. Not only did the Blue Devils absolutely destroy Pitt, but we also saw the highlight of the college basketball season so far, thanks to Flagg.

It happened early in the second half when Flagg snagged a loose ball on his own end. He then proceeded with his attack toward the basket, blowing by one defender before reaching the paint. That's when this happened.

Yeah, I would say that's a posterization.

What an incredible play by Flagg. Everything is on display here: court awareness, basketball IQ, instincts, and athleticism—all at peak levels. You could go an entire season without seeing something as beautiful as this. What a player Cooper continues to be.

As brutal as it is to get posterized, I do give the Pitt player credit. He stood in there and tried to block the shot. Many players would have run for cover seeing Flagg rolling in to destroy the basket. Now that dude is going to be remembered for being posterized, like the French center who Vince Carter humbled in the Olympics back in 2000, but at least he tried.

Flagg is still the odds-on favorite to win Player of the Year, which is incredibly impressive for a freshman. He's also expected to be the first pick in the upcoming NBA draft if he chooses to leave school.

You know, just another kid from Maine making it big.

Best of luck to Flagg and Duke the rest of the way. And, as a West Virginia alum who hates Pittsburgh more than anything else in this world, I just want to say thank you, Cooper, for embarrassing the hell out of those guys.