Duke basketball coach John Scheier gives Cooper Flagg a reason for a rare technical foul
By now you probably know that freshman Duke Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg is well worth the hype it brought with it in Durham, North Carolina. The 18-year-old came on Saturday matchup with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as one of the top contenders to eventually be named college basketball’s best player, and he left Duke’s 86-78 victory with a boosted resume thanks to ACC record – 42 point performance.
Flegg’s head coach Jon Scheieron the other hand, he left Saturday’s game with his second career technical, thanks in large part to how he believed Flagg officiated.
After the game, Scheier explained what led to his explosion on the sideline.
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“People are going to do things to guard him,” the Duke head coach said of Flagg, according to the Associated Press. “And catching and holding will be something that exists.” So it wasn’t just one show for me. It is only understood that he was hit. Again, I have a lot of respect for those three officials who officiate in our league. But I’m also going to stand up for our guys when I feel like something’s not being called the right way or disrespected.”
Fortunately, Cooper Flagg made the Irish pay for getting physical with him. Notre Dame committed 13 fouls on Flagg, and the freshman starter knocked down 16 of his 17 free throw attempts. Duke made 30 of 35 free throws. Notre Dame’s Braeden Shrewsberry missed both free throws after Scheier was hit with a technical, so it turns out the ball really doesn’t lie.
“It’s a big part of the game if you’re able to get into the paint and get fouled,” Flagg said after the game, “so I was kind of able to start it early and I was able to live in the paint tonight.”
Whether he was in the paint, behind the three-point arc, or anywhere in between, Cooper Flag looked unstoppable on Saturday afternoon.
Sonny Giuliano is a seasoned sports writer for ClutchPoints covering the NFL, NCAA Football, NBA and NCAA Basketball for over a decade. Sonny graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University.
2025-01-12 16:03:00
