Highly regarded 6-foot-8 wing
Cooper Flagg shook up the top of 2025 NBA Draft boards with his Friday announcement that he's reclassifying to the Class of 2024 prior to the 2023-24 high school basketball season.
Flagg moves into the No. 1 spot in the Class of 2024 without much debate after a hotly-contested battle for the top spot in the Class of 2025 rankings with
Cameron Boozer.
In 57 games during the 2022-23 season at
Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.),
Nike EYBL regular season/Peach Jam and the NBPA Top 100 Camp, Flagg put
up 18.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 3.4 blocked shots and 1.4
steals per game. He shot 52.1 percent from the field, 33.5 percent from
3-point range and 84.8 percent from the free throw line.
Flagg's most dominant stretch came at the Peach Jam where he averaged 25.4
points, 13.0 rebounds, 6.9 blocked shots, 5.7 assists and 1.4 steals per
contest to help Maine United finish with a 6-1 record and pull off a
major upset of Nightrydas Elite in pool play.
After being named MaxPreps Maine Player of the Year as a freshman at
Nokomis (Newport, Maine),
Flagg transferred to Montverde Academy ahead of his sophomore year.
There, he helped Eagles to the NIBC championship before being upset in
the first round of GEICO Nationals to finish the season ranked No. 2 in
the National Top 10.
The reclassification means Cooper is now the projected top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, narrowly making the cut age-wise with a December birthday.
It is unclear how this will impact his brother,
Ace Flagg, who is currently an under-the-radar Class of 2025 prospect with limited college offers. He's played alongside his brother Ace in high school and club basketball each of the past two seasons.
Cooper Flagg is expected to have a monster senior season for the loaded Eagles, who are favorites to win their second consecutive NIBC title and seventh GEICO Nationals title in program history. Flagg is expected to be a front-runner in the race for MaxPreps National Player of the Year honors next season.
Cooper Flagg takes over the top spot in the Class of 2024 after announcing his reclassification. (Photo: Catalina Fragoso)
