Flagg family celebrates as Cooper leads Duke Blue Devils to Final Four
It was a surreal moment for his parents
By Scott McDonnell
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NEWARK, New Jersey (WMTW) — From Nokomis High to Duke to the Final Four, Cooper Flagg’s journey just keeps climbing.
The freshman phenom helped lead the Blue Devils to a dominant win in the East Regional final, shutting down an Alabama team that had lit up the arena just days ago. Duke won by 20.
Then came another big moment: Flagg climbed the ladder and cut down the net at the Prudential Center — another dream realized.
Flagg finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists. He was named Most Valuable Player of the East Regional by averaging 19.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.8 blocks in Duke’s first four NCAA Tournament games.
“It’s just surreal,” Flagg said during the postgame celebration.
It was also a surreal moment for his parents, Kelly and Ralph Flagg, who spoke about the support they have received from all over their home state of Maine.
“We are just so blessed that the state of Maine, the whole state of Maine, really, we feel their love from a distance,” said Kelly Flagg. “My entire Facebook feed, his friends and people I don’t even know back home, just letting us know that they’re watching the games and tuning in and supporting us all from afar is great.”
“Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, he represents Maine. That’s his roots. He’s always gotten down and done the dirty work and done what needs to be done to win. And that’s what Maine’s about, you know?” said Ralph Flagg.
The Flagg family’s next stop is San Antonio to watch their son play in the Final Four. Two more wins, and it’s a national championship for the Newport, Maine, native and the Blue Devils.
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