NBA
College Basketball Recruiting: Cooper Flagg may reclassify, would be No. 1 Class of 2024 recruit
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated18 Jul 2023
Cooper Flagg is a high school basketball player who has shined in the last year. The 16-year-old just finished his sophomore season at Montverde Academy in Florida. Flagg’s skill level for his age is insane and that’s why sources say he could consider reclassifying to 2024. If he does in fact reclassify, he would be the #1 recruit in the Class of 2024.
His favored program at the moment is the Duke Blue Devils. When it comes to NBA-ready talent, Flagg looks like he could be playing in the league right now. Scouts have him projected as a certified first-round pick in the NBA. On top of this, Flagg is the #2 recruit in his class behind Cameron Boozer.
All of those factors could play into Cooper Flagg’s decision to reclassify to the Class of 2024. It’s an important decision in his life and sports career that he’ll need to take some time to consider.
While this past NBA Draft was top-heavy, I’m not sold that teams will be tanking in the next two years.
Maybe someone will emerge, but right now there’s no “guy” in this year’s freshman class or the 2024 high school class – unless Cooper Flagg reclassifies from 2025 to 2024.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) July 11, 2023
Cooper Flagg could reclassify to the Class of 2024 and graduate a year early
The #1 player in the Class of 2025 is Cameron Boozer, a player who shows a ton of interest in Duke. He’s the son of former NBA player Carlos Boozer, who also played for the Blue Devils. Additionally, Cameron Boozer and Cooper Flagg play the same position and both have Duke as their presumed #1 choice.
It’s highly unlikely that Boozer and Flagg would both go to Duke if they stayed in the Class of 2025. That is why Cooper Flagg’s reclassification could truly be beneficial to his career. At this point, scouts have seen what he’s capable of and there’s no reason for him to play two more seasons in high school.
2 minutes of Cooper Flagg being absolutely unstoppable. pic.twitter.com/2qm1zN9l1X
— Overtime (@overtime) July 10, 2023
Reclassifying would make Flagg a senior next season and would instantly be the #1 recruit in the Class of 2024. It would also ensure that he would be able to play for Duke if that’s the path he chooses after high school. Flagg could go overseas’s and play internationally, though that doesn’t seem likely.
He could also take the route of playing in the Overtime Elite League. In the 2023 NBA Draft, we saw twin brothers Amen and Ausar Thompson go 4th and 5th overall. They both played two seasons for the City Reapers in Overtime Elite. The Thompsons have shown that you can still be a lottery pick in the draft if you don’t attend college. Cooper Flagg will have a few different choices when he graduates in either 2024 or 2025.
