Yet another cooper flag post..

[uh-no]

A Duke homer will naturally spin this story as a Hurley negative. UConn fans should be countering this narrative and not run away from it.

Other than clickbait wanna-be journalists (like the one who made this article, or the one on uva being better than uconn), duke fans have long moved past the Flagg recruitment. We should too.

 

[ctchamps]

Other than clickbait wanna-be journalists (like the one who made this article, or the one on uva being better than uconn), duke fans have long moved past the Flagg recruitment. We should too.

I’d rather people not need to diss the kid because he “rejected” us. Or avoid talking about him for the same reason.

Makes us appear weak.

We came out of nowhere in his recruitment and nearly changed his mind. That’s a narrative about our coaching staff that we don’t need to be ashamed about or bury.

You know Cooper will be hyped all season. I have back to back championships plus four additional ones that provide enough protective armor against any sensitivity I might have for Flagg not wearing a UConn uniform next year.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

Duke was his dream school so while we put up a good fight, I can’t fault him for his choice.

But still….F Duke.

 

[UCTitleTown]

Flagg's prominent bangs reveal a great fear of future baldness.

 

[gsmooth]

I’d rather people not need to diss the kid because he “rejected” us. Or avoid talking about him for the same reason.

Makes us appear weak.

We came out of nowhere in his recruitment and nearly changed his mind. That’s a narrative about our coaching staff that we don’t need to be ashamed about or bury.

You know Cooper will be hyped all season. I have back to back championships plus four additional ones that provide enough protective armor against any sensitivity I might have for Flagg not wearing a UConn uniform next year.

100%. Isn't the goal of any team in any sport to win the championship title? That is certainly the goal, not obtaining the most highest ranked recruits.

I can't get over the fans obsession of Cooper Flagg. A national title is far more important. Cooper Flagg, or any recruit for that matter, is recruited with the goal that they will help win games which could ultimately lead to a national championship. I can't believe I have to state this.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Cooper is a good guy. I hope his team’s season ends in early March. Hurley name gets the clicks, even when it is a stupid article, but this is the author, so…

MATT GILES

Matt Giles is the editor and publisher of FanNation's Blue Devil Country and All Tar Heels, covering the Duke Blue Devils and UNC Tar Heels on SI.com.

I like Cooper, a lot. He is a generational talent imo. But, he is only there one year. I am a fan, but I just gotta put up 35 games with hin. Lol

 

[Tenspro2002]

Oh look, another poster who wants to take a shot at Flagg since he didn't pick UConn. Just a stupid take.

Cooper and his family are doing everything right from what we know. He doesn't do a ton of interviews looking for fame. He played for the hometown AAU team. He's a pass and defense first player and a great teammate from everything I've seen and heard reported.

Just because he didn't pick UConn doesn't mean he's a horrible kid. If he WAS a walking red flag looking for fame, we never would have recruited him to begin with. Have you learned nothing about the kind of recruit Hurley targets?

This is part of why it's so frustrating.

Flagg is clearly a great fit for our culture, but chose to go somewhere else.

 

[UC0NN]

I think if this was any school other than Duke, most people would be okay with it.

One would think 6 championships in 25 years including back 2 back would ease some of the pain. But there are many here that still have monthly nightmares of Laetner etc. So that pain never ultimately goes away.

No matter how great character the kid is. So I completely get it.

 

[uh-no]

This is part of why it's so frustrating.

Flagg is clearly a great fit for our culture, but chose to go somewhere else.

kid's been a duke fan his whole life. Oh well.

 

[Hunt for 7]

I admit I dragged the Flagg issue on for awhile. But we have to move on. Steph was not the #1 high school recruit but has a good chance to get drafted before all of those that were rated higher.

Then Clingan no one not on this board and not anywhere else was saying by the end of his Sophomore year he would be a lottery pick.


So maybe Flagg is a generational talent but you never know. We have become the program that reminds me of the city of Lynn in MA but in a reverse way.

You know the saying:

Lynn, Lynn
The city of sin
U never come out
The way you went in.

 

[navery12]

I think if this was any school other than Duke, most people would be okay with it.

One would think 6 championships in 25 years including back 2 back would ease some of the pain. But there are many here that still have monthly nightmares of Laetner etc. So that pain never ultimately goes away.

No matter how great character the kid is. So I completely get it.

I feel the opposite, if it was anywhere except Duke it would be tough to live with. But they're a huge brand, one that just so happens to be the team he grew up rooting for

 

[bendm]

Who grows up In maine rooting for Duke unless his parents are alums ? So incredibly lame to pick a team to root for, which you have no geographic or educational connection to, just because they’re good. Who was good in the nba when he was in middle school? Is he a warriors fan too?

 

[caw]

Who grows up In maine rooting for Duke unless his parents are alums ? So incredibly lame to pick a team to root for, which you have no geographic or educational connection to, just because they’re good. Who was good in the nba when he was in middle school? Is he a warriors fan too?

Keep in mind his age and his parents likely age. They were likely in middle/high school during the early 90's when Duke had Laettner, Hurley and Grant Hill and were what UConn is now in terms of going back to back and being the best program in the country. Hardly shocking for a kid to follow his parents preferences for teams. I know so many people who just fell in love with those Duke teams (and a larger group who hated them).

For those wanting to not talk about Flagg, he's going to be news in college basketball all year. He is just that good (still huge questions on that team though). UConn will too, because UConn is just that good.

Hurley's comments were a silly anecdote about a concert, Flagg was probably the fifth most famous thing in that tale behind the Lakers, Billy Joel, UConn, and Dan Hurley. Stupid story by a bored writer looking for clicks.

 

[TheChamps990411]

His boyhood dream school growing up in a New England state 1000 miles from Duke was Duke. So bizarre but it is what is. Otherwise he'd be at Storrs. Now we root against him as we do every Duke player.
There's no shame in rooting against him - in fact you should.

I have nothing against the kid or his choice. It was fun to be in the running for him but when he went to dook i got over it a minute later. Also we got Liam McNeely out of it and thats a pretty good consolation prize. I now call him Pooper Flagg as my dig at him. Just fun for me to do.

 

[pj]

I loved how Hurley tied in the Flagg recruiting and missing the Billy Joel concert as a factor in deciding not to miss the concert a second time. Lesson learned. No matter how important something is personal pleasure should not be denied.

I think the lesson is different. He'll miss the Billy Joel concert for a recruit, but not for the Lakers and $20 million. He cares about his recruits more than his personal success.

 

[CTBasketball]

Who cares. Last I checked we have more rings than Duke.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I didn't say he's a horrible kid at all. he'll be fine. it's just that the duke pitch and program branding is definitely leaning into the nba superstar and social media presence stuff.

Not really. Duke is about Duke. The pitch is that you can go to an old, elite school, where the climate is better than New Haven or Cambridge, and where they still play FBS football, and where they have an elite basketball program and great crowd support. If you ask where are the alumni in general and basketball alumni best able to help me in life, the answer is probably Duke.

Flagg doesn’t need help on social media. He brings that wherever he goes.

 

[controlfade]

“We took Liam McKneely, Ahmad Nowell, and Isaiah Abraham. THEY’RE NOT BAD!!!”

Love JC

 

[bendm]

Hardly shocking for a kid to follow his parents preferences for teams. I know so many people who just fell in love with those Duke teams (and a larger group who hated them).

a big part of the reason i cant stand Duke is exactly that. they have more frontrunning fake fans than any other program. unless you or your parents/siblings went to Duke or you live in Durham there's no acceptable reason to be a Duke fan. that applies to any private school really. root for your state school you're supporting them with your tax dollars already.

 

[awy]

there's no need to romanticize the whole 'duke's the dream school for decades' angle. the reason why it's the dream school is the superficial reasons people talked about. it's whatever, no need to obsess over it, but let's be real about the branding angle being dominant there.

 

[ctchamps]

I think the lesson is different. He'll miss the Billy Joel concert for a recruit, but not for the Lakers and $20 million. He cares about his recruits more than his personal success.

Yes. That’s the salient point that most UConn fans understand about Dan. Therefore the comments he made about Cooper in the interview were not intended to be disrespectful, just humorous.

However non fans with agendas will take advantage of it as the individual did which this thread is responding to. He might have a willing audience who’ll believe him because that’s what WE (humanity) do. We create narratives that support our needs whether factual or not. And, although anecdotal, people in North Carolina who I run into wearing UConn gear, can’t help but express in a non verbal manner a visage of defeat.

 

[UCHuskies08]

Oh look, another poster who wants to take a shot at Flagg since he didn't pick UConn. Just a stupid take.

Cooper and his family are doing everything right from what we know. He doesn't do a ton of interviews looking for fame. He played for the hometown AAU team. He's a pass and defense first player and a great teammate from everything I've seen and heard reported.

Just because he didn't pick UConn doesn't mean he's a horrible kid. If he WAS a walking red flag looking for fame, we never would have recruited him to begin with. Have you learned nothing about the kind of recruit Hurley targets?

Not picking UConn doesn't make him horrible, but picking Duke does.

 

[aceboon]

Who grows up In maine rooting for Duke unless his parents are alums ? So incredibly lame to pick a team to root for, which you have no geographic or educational connection to, just because they’re good. Who was good in the nba when he was in middle school? Is he a warriors fan too?

this is like asking why do people not from LA/Texas/NY root for the Lakers/Cowboys/Yankees

 

[I Bleed Blue]

I will be rooting for Cooper as soon as he’s in the NBA. Seeing a kid from Maine be a great NBA and live up to the hype would be wild. Love his overall defense first and high IQ game.

In the short term, I hope he plays well at Duke but collectively they lose every game and miss the tournament.

 

[bendm]

this is like asking why do people not from LA/Texas/NY root for the Lakers/Cowboys/Yankees

right, and i have no respect for those fans either. believe it or not, I did know a guy who roots for all 3 of those teams and i considered him a giant loser as a result. i refused to discuss sports with him at all.