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Dom Amore’s Sunday Read: Why Cooper Flagg fits UConn’s model of ‘basketball people;’ Becky Hammon’s Willimantic roots, Jim Mora drifts into terrible territory, and more
Backdoor
A Hoosiers/Hickory story, Maine style. This is the basketball environment in which Flagg, who transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida, and his brother, Ace, grew up playing. Anderson, who had won Nokomis’ only girls state championship as coach 20 years earlier, considers himself an old-school coach.
“So Cooper has no problem with old-school coaching, I can tell you that,” he said.
All this should only serve to make UConn fans, and the coaches, all the more anxious to add Flagg, 6 feet 8, considered the top prospect in the Class of 2024, to the Huskies’ realm. Two years ago, UConn would have had little chance. Flagg considered Duke his dream school.
Now, having visited UConn three weeks ago and canceled a scheduled visit to Kansas, Anderson considers it a “toss-up.” Flagg, visiting Duke this weekend, is expected to make his decision as early as next week. Recently, TV analyst Frank Isola, who has a radio show with Flagg’s mentor Brian Scalabrine, predicted Dan Hurley’s Huskies would come away with him. Just “something he heard.”
“Danny Hurley is spot-on with that,” Anderson said. “Cooper is all about the basketball. The hype, when you’re as good as he is, everybody in the world can see highlights, the hype comes with it. But Cooper is not in it for the hype. He deals with it really well. He has a great family and is very grounded. Even every game here, there were times when he said, ‘Coach, have (the media) talk to somebody else.’ He’s not in it for the limelight, he is just basketball through and through.”
Backdoor
A Hoosiers/Hickory story, Maine style. This is the basketball environment in which Flagg, who transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida, and his brother, Ace, grew up playing. Anderson, who had won Nokomis’ only girls state championship as coach 20 years earlier, considers himself an old-school coach.
“So Cooper has no problem with old-school coaching, I can tell you that,” he said.
All this should only serve to make UConn fans, and the coaches, all the more anxious to add Flagg, 6 feet 8, considered the top prospect in the Class of 2024, to the Huskies’ realm. Two years ago, UConn would have had little chance. Flagg considered Duke his dream school.
Now, having visited UConn three weeks ago and canceled a scheduled visit to Kansas, Anderson considers it a “toss-up.” Flagg, visiting Duke this weekend, is expected to make his decision as early as next week. Recently, TV analyst Frank Isola, who has a radio show with Flagg’s mentor Brian Scalabrine, predicted Dan Hurley’s Huskies would come away with him. Just “something he heard.”
“Danny Hurley is spot-on with that,” Anderson said. “Cooper is all about the basketball. The hype, when you’re as good as he is, everybody in the world can see highlights, the hype comes with it. But Cooper is not in it for the hype. He deals with it really well. He has a great family and is very grounded. Even every game here, there were times when he said, ‘Coach, have (the media) talk to somebody else.’ He’s not in it for the limelight, he is just basketball through and through.”
