r/CollegeBasketball user claims to have insider info on Cooper Flagg -> UConn*

[OkaForPrez]

I can't even tell if you are serious or being sarcastic. I don't know what to believe anymore. Up is down, left is right, black is white...

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Not saying they are intentionally misleading, but if you want to drive up the NIL, this is one way to do it, and it doesn't even have to be his family but just someone in their orbit. If you know where you're going to go anyway, might as well make them squirm a little bit. 99% of the people would do this, especially when they are wanted. People who are recruited in business always make a few hardball asks right before they sign on.

The thing is, if his goal was to drive up his NIL value, he would 100% not have wiped his KU visit before taking it. They are the ones with the deepest NIL pockets. Keeping them in the fray would be the best way to drive up his NIL package.

Not to mention, Flagg has a very realistic shot at making hundreds of millions of dollars over his NBA career, so squeezing a few extra hundred thousand or a million in NIL is almost certainly not what's driving his decision here.

I'm sure NIL is important to him and a factor, but the signs do not point to him making this decision based on a self-driven NIL bidding war.

 

[FlippinCrazy!]

For what it’s worth, Flagg canceled his Kansas visit cause he knew he wasn’t going there. So I would think he’d do the same if he thought the same about Duke. I bet whatever was said to friends/family (if anything) was something like he really liked UConn and could see himself playing here. Doesn’t mean he won’t like Duke better, but I could see a statement along those lines being misinterpreted slightly.

That being said, a couple months ago we were a at best a dark horse, now we’re legit contender for him. Have to love the effort Hurley and co have put in plus just the general upward trend of our recruiting regardless of where he goes.

 

[August_West]

For what it’s worth, Flagg canceled his Kansas visit cause he knew he wasn’t going there. So I would think he’d do the same if he thought the same about Duke. I bet whatever was said to friends/family (if anything) was something like he really liked UConn and could see himself playing here. Doesn’t mean he won’t like Duke better, but I could see a statement along those lines being misinterpreted slightly.

That being said, a couple months ago we were a at best a dark horse, now we’re legit contender for him. Have to love the effort Hurley and co have put in plus just the general upward trend of our recruiting regardless of where he goes.

Post/Handle EPIC FAIL. Because that's the most sane post in this thread.

 

[FlippinCrazy!]

Post/Handle EPIC FAIL. Because that's the most sane post in this thread.

Don’t worry I’ll start drinking soon and live up to my name

 

[HooperScooper]

UConn has to get him first or I won't care about his NBA prospects, but I saw this and figured I'd post it.

“Defense is where he stands out, and he competes,” one NBA scout told On3. “With him, his defense helps his offense, and he turns the defense into the offense. His ability on the defense end was apparent early. The way he competed, we saw that early on.”

Another NBA scout echoed that thought, “He’s super versatile on the defensive end. That’s what his best attribute is, the defensive instincts and his competitiveness.”

NBA Scouts Weigh In on Cooper Flagg

On3's Jamie Shaw spoke with NBA Scouts about On3's No. 1 player in 2024, small forward Cooper Flagg, and his game and projection.

www.on3.com

 

[Samoo]

It's clearly not ManiacKing20's first rodeo.

He is after all responding to a guy with the user name gloryholeattendant. Sounds like information you can really rely on...

 

[Chief00]

Normally I don't trust people who call us "UCONN" but I'll make an exception here. I'm ready to be heartbroken, but I'm on the Flagg to UConn train. duck it.

Welcome abroad !

 

[upstater]

The thing is, if his goal was to drive up his NIL value, he would 100% not have wiped his KU visit before taking it. They are the ones with the deepest NIL pockets. Keeping them in the fray would be the best way to drive up his NIL package.

Not to mention, Flagg has a very realistic shot at making hundreds of millions of dollars over his NBA career, so squeezing a few extra hundred thousand or a million in NIL is almost certainly not what's driving his decision here.

I'm sure NIL is important to him and a factor, but the signs do not point to him making this decision based on a self-driven NIL bidding war.

Ever met a rich person?

 

[Waquoit]

For what it’s worth, Flagg canceled his Kansas visit cause he knew he wasn’t going there. So I would think he’d do the same if he thought the same about Duke.

I see it slightly differently. I think the advice was, "I know you're 99% Duke but it's not the same Duke you grew up loving; check out a couple of other places first." He decides to check our Kansas and UConn; but the UConn visit went so well there was no reason to find another alternative to Duke. He was never going to cancel his Duke visit no matter how great his UConn visit was. That would burn bridges. He had no bridges with Kansas.

 

[husky429]

The thing is, if his goal was to drive up his NIL value, he would 100% not have wiped his KU visit before taking it. They are the ones with the deepest NIL pockets. Keeping them in the fray would be the best way to drive up his NIL package.

He canceled the Kansas visit because he's going to get a Nike shoe deal. NIL is secondary here.

 

[nomar]

Quite possibly. As a second round pick who has yet to play a regular season game, we'll have to wait and see.

HS kids have recency bias. We're talking about which programs have been putting guys in the NBA. I agree with you that our recent track record hasn't been great. You should acknowledge that Andre Jackson highlights are all over Twitter. Whether he has a good NBA career or not, right now everybody knows who he is.

 

[DogMania]

I don't think it's a troll, but I do think he's jumping to conclusions. Things change all the time in recruiting, and quickly. I believe based off of what he and others in the thread are saying that there's a good chance UConn is now in the lead and barring a major change during his visit to Duke, he's likely to pick UConn. However, he took it too far and made a guarantee based off of information that could very easily change. There's a reason Duke was considered the leader in the clubhouse for so long, and this visit could very easily tip the scales back in their favor.

So true. Even when you think you have good recruiting Intel, things can change dramatically.

Hooper and I had an inside source back in the day that told us that NYC 2G Russell Robinson who was a friend and AAU teammate of AJ Price (who had recently committed to UConn) was pretty much a Husky lock after his official visit and was just going to honor his visit to Kansas the upcoming weekend. Right after that visit, Robinson returned a Jayhawk. I didn't doubt our inside source whatsoever. Kansas pretty much told him that with AJ going to UConn his chances of playing any point guard there would be zero while Kansas they would play him at the point guard position.

Unfortunately in a twist of irony, AJ missed most of his first couple years with the medical condition, which would have possibly open the PG door for him, Russell Robinson was never given a shot to play the point at KU and was relegated off the ball where he had a marginal career at Kansas. Who knows if he would have been a viable point guard at UConn since I think he was a combo at best who might have been able to fill a few minutes at the one if needed.

The bottom line is, things can change dramatically in recruiting and in life in general. How many times have many of us believe we landed on a decision when after experiencing something new we completely changed our mind.

With that said, I think Cooper is a pretty mature kid and has a good idea what he's looking for. I wouldn't be surprised with the rumors that he already knows, based on his visits and discussions with the coaches, players and others involved, that UConn has some things that he is looking for that he doesn't believe Dook can offer.

Now I haven't followed every detail around Cooper's recruitment, so correct me if I'm wrong. I don't remember any substance as to why so many recruiting gurus predicted Dook other than Cooper saying that Dook was his dream School, that Jason Tatum is his favorite player (not sure I got that one right) and probability because he fits the highly ranked uber talent that Dook usually lands and UConn doesn't. I don't remember anything he or someone from his circle has said that specifically pointed to Dook being the leader.

So setting some of the rumors aside, I believe we've always been in the running for him but wouldn't be shocked with whichever program he chooses. Some have mentioned here that after his visit we either closed the gap or became the favorite. Other than Cooper saying some things he likes about UConn, there's not been anything he or anyone close to him has said that points to a leader. Though his immediately canceling his Kansas OV right after he completed his UConn visit has always giving me pause. That just seems like a reaction that he saw what he liked, realizing there was no need to go and visit Kansas. Him not canceling his Duke visit could mean that he still wants to learn what he can to make his final decision between the two programs or it could mean he now favors UConn but feels he should keep to that commitment since they've recruited him for a very long time. I'm hoping the latter.

Usually you never find out exactly why a recruit chooses one program over the others, but in this case I'd really like to know either way. I hope that question is asked and answered.

 

[AntG168]

Duke is a fine program. With that said, the more I compare both programs at this current date I realize that there isn’t much reason to choose Duke over UConn. I mean give me a good one….

Coaching - UConn
Development -UConn
Culture - UConn
Conference - UConn
Proven Winner - Hurley/UConn
Proximity to home -UConn
Roster fit -UConn
Current Success - UConn
Historic Success - Wash
Fan base - Wash?
Develop nba players - Hurley
Experience - Hurley

 

[DogMania]

Probably! But the point was over the last 7-9 years. Over the last 7-9 years our NBA presence has been pretty meager (and, until recently, getting worse) for a program of our historical stature.

I don't think the list or success of Duke vs UConn players in the NBA is a factor for Cooper. He's likely going to be drafted number one after his freshman year no matter which program he chooses. Also take into account that it's no longer Coach K developing the players. Hurley has proven that he and his coaching staff has elevated the capabilities of the UConn players, some who have made it to the league or at least earned two way contracts that you would not have predicted when they first arrived at UConn. I'm pretty sure that Cooper sees coach Hurley and his staff capable of preparing him for the next level, more so than what he sees could happen at Duke or at least equally.

I think it comes down to which program he thinks has a better chance of winning, which program's culture he feels most comfortable with and which coaching staff and players he feels most comfortable with. If that is the case, I like our chances.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Duke is a fine program. With that said, the more I compare both programs at this current date I realize that there isn’t much reason to choose Duke over UConn. I mean give me a good one….

Coaching - UConn
Development -UConn
Culture - UConn
Conference - UConn
Proven Winner - Hurley/UConn
Proximity to home -UConn
Roster fit -UConn
Current Success - UConn
Historic Success - Wash
Fan base - Wash?
Develop nba players - Hurley
Experience - Hurley

I like you as a poster and envy your optimism on pretty much anything, but this is a very UConn-Blue tinted goggle post.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

He canceled the Kansas visit because he's going to get a Nike shoe deal. NIL is secondary here.

Sure, and that would only further the argument that pitting UConn against Duke in an NIL bidding war by leaking things does not sound like it's going on.

Plus, if he was the type to get into a bidding war, wouldn't he keep his KU visit to pit Nike against Adidas too?

I don't think his NIL package is what's going to be the ultimate deciding factor here.

 

[Fan1978]

I see it slightly differently. I think the advice was, "I know you're 99% Duke but it's not the same Duke you grew up loving; check out a couple of other places first." He decides to check our Kansas and UConn; but the UConn visit went so well there was no reason to find another alternative to Duke. He was never going to cancel his Duke visit no matter how great his UConn visit was. That would burn bridges. He had no bridges with Kansas.

I see it exactly the same way. He owed kansas nothing

 

[August_West]

I don't think the list or success of Duke vs UConn players in the NBA is a factor for Cooper. He's likely going to be drafted number one after his freshman year no matter which program he chooses. Also take into account that it's no longer Coach K developing the players. Hurley has proven that he and his coaching staff has elevated the capabilities of the UConn players, some who have made it to the league or at least earned two way contracts that you would not have predicted when they first arrived at UConn. I'm pretty sure that Cooper sees coach Hurley and his staff capable of preparing him for the next level, more so than what he sees could happen at Duke or at least equally.

I think it comes down to which program he thinks has a better chance of winning, which program's culture he feels most comfortable with and which coaching staff and players he feels most comfortable with. If that is the case, I like our chances.

If K was still at Duke we wouldn't be even having this conversation. Despite how awesome and effective our staff is. (and they are best in the game for my money)

 

[AntG168]

I like you as a poster and envy your optimism on pretty much anything, but this is a very UConn-Blue tinted goggle post.

Show me the error. There is maybe 3 debatables up here maybe 4. We have every coaching edge, every conference edge and every recent success edge. What lottery pick has sheyer head coached and developed?

I think it’s hard to believe. Until you actually look at it. Duke was Coach K. He gone.

 

[BlueMAB]

Welcome abroad !

 

[polycom]

Duke is a fine program. With that said, the more I compare both programs at this current date I realize that there isn’t much reason to choose Duke over UConn. I mean give me a good one….

Coaching - UConn
Development -UConn
Culture - UConn
Conference - UConn
Proven Winner - Hurley/UConn
Proximity to home -UConn
Roster fit -UConn
Current Success - UConn
Historic Success - Wash
Fan base - Wash?
Develop nba players - Hurley
Experience - Hurley

What about living environment? Weather? Proximity to a city? There are positive reasons to go to Duke for especially for Flagg we can be a little reasonable.

 

[AntG168]

What about living environment? Weather? Proximity to a city? There are positive reasons to go to Duke for especially for Flagg we can be a little reasonable.

Flagg from Maine is not basing his decision on weather and proximity to a city..

If you have to dig that deep to find a reason for Duke that proves my point

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Show me the error. There is maybe 3 debatables up here maybe 4. We have every coaching edge, every conference edge and every recent success edge. What lottery pick has sheyer head coached and developed?

I think it’s hard to believe. Until you actually look at it. Duke was Coach K. He gone.

I will name a few and give reasons:

1) Conference. ACC has huge television exposure, they have some very good teams in their own right as well. Money/exposure wise ACC>BE. This year, the Big East is a better conference though, I will agree.

2) Roster fit. I mean, the kid will fit in perfectly wherever he goes. Not fair to say one is better than the other.

3) Prox. To Home. He is from Maine but his family relocated to Florida. Probably a wash there. Unless you’re bringing in extended family, which, I guess.

4) Historic Success.The blue blood argument is dumb. We’re the best of the last 25/30 years. But historically Duke probably edges us. Wins/Conference titles, etc.

5) Fan Base. We don’t travel especially well, and Duke’s fan base is significantly more spread throughout the country, mostly paper fans/bandwagoners but still. We certainly are crazy though.

 

[husky429]

What about living environment? Weather? Proximity to a city? There are positive reasons to go to Duke for especially for Flagg we can be a little reasonable.

He'll be on campus a total of what, 7 months? I doubt it's much of a factor.