RALEIGH, N.C. – All eyes were on Cooper Flagg as the Duke star jogged out of the tunnel and onto the court at Lenovo Center for Thursday’s public NCAA Tournament practice session.
And not just because because he’s the best player in the country.
The light 60-minute workout was a referendum on how well Flagg has recovered from the scary ankle injury he suffered at last week’s ACC Tournament final.
Although Flagg still isn’t 100 percent, Duke coach Jon Scheyer said he’s recovered enough to be available with no restrictions in the top-seeded Blue Devils’ East Region opener against Mount St. Mary’s on Friday afternoon.
“For us, this is about him being able to move properly,” Scheyer said before watching Flagg make it through Thursday’s practice without a hint of a limp. “He wasn’t going to play if he was compensating. No matter what, it’s an ankle sprain. He has to work through that a little bit still. But he’s not compensating.”
Flagg was injured after coming down awkwardly with a rebound late in the first half of his team’s ACC quarterfinal game against Georgia Tech. X-rays and an MRI taken at the arena in Charlotte were negative, and he was able to begin rehabbing the injury almost immediately.
Scheyer said Flagg was “itching to get out there” and play again almost immediately.
Even though the third-year coach wasn’t going to allow that to happen, he said Flagg’s attitude toward his return shows what the National Player of the Year frontrunner is made of.
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“A lot of guys would be more patient or not as anxious to get out there,” Scheyer said. “That’s just not the way he’s wired.”
Scheyer and Duke’s medical staff were careful to bring Flagg back slowly once the team returned to campus to begin its NCAA Tournament preparations. He participated in his first full-contact practice Wednesday, after which he was cleared to return.
“From the start of the week, it was kind of like a build-up of jumping back into practice, doing some individual things with some of the coaches on the side,” Flagg said. “Then I was back at full practice (Wednesday). So I feel really good. I’m really confident about going 100 percent.”
While that news might come as a relief to Scheyer, his teammates and Duke’s fans, Flagg said there was never a doubt in his mind that he’d be able to play. And play at his usual high level.
The 6-foot-9 freshman leads the Blue Devils in scoring (18.9), rebounding (7.5), assists (4.1) and steals (2.0).
“I’ve twisted my ankle a good amount of times,” he said. “Growing up, I feel like most basketball players go through something like that. It was kind of just figuring out how severe it is and how it feels, see if you can just get up and walk it off. Obviously, it was definitely more than that.”
Flagg sat out the final two games while his teammates defeated North Carolina and Louisville to win Duke’s record 23rd ACC Tournament championship.
Although Duke needs Flagg to have a realistic shot at cutting down the nets at the Final Four in San Antonio, Scheyer said that the time his team was forced to play without its star could turn out to be a blessing in disguise now that Flagg is back on the court.
“Actually, the time off I think has helped him, his explosiveness,” Scheyer said. “He’s getting a little bit of rest. The ACC Tournament is a grind. The regular season is a grind.”
The physical aspect isn’t the only benefit from the unexpected time off.
Without Flagg, the Blue Devils were forced to improvise with lineup combinations they hadn’t used, and 6-foot-7 freshman wing Kon Knueppel, 7-foot-2 freshman center Khaman Maluach and 6-foot-6 freshman wing Isaiah Evans were asked to take on more of the scoring load, especially down the stretch in a close semifinal win against North Carolina. In addition, seldom-used 6-foot-11 freshman center Patrick Ngongba saw his minutes increase significantly while filling in for Duke’s other injured regular, 6-foot-9 junior defensive stopper Maliq Brown.
Knueppel said the adjustments will make the Blue Devils a better, more versatile team as it advances through the NCAA Tournament.
“Yeah, I think it gave some guys some opportunities,” he said. “But it also helped us unlock some things offensively and defensively that might work in the future.”
