NEW YORK, NY — It has long been known that stars show up and show out in The Mecca of Basketball, Madison Square Garden.
Making his MSG debut this past Saturday night vs. Illinois in the SentinelOne Classic, Duke Blue Devils’ star-studded freshman Cooper Flagg, the presumed No. 1 overall pick for this year’s upcoming NBA Draft, did just that and put on a show.
As No. 3 ranked Duke ran the Fighting Illini off The Garden floor, 110-67, Illinois’ largest loss in program history — the 19-year-old combo guard/forward, listed at six-nine with a wingspan of seven-one — worked at ease to record 16 points (5-10 FG, 1/1 3PT, & 5-5 FT) with seven rebounds and five assists.
The sold-out crowd of 19,812 in the building, who were mostly fans of the Blue Devils, witnessed Flagg and graduate guard Sion James (11 points, six assists, three boards) go off and combine for 27 of Duke’s 110 points as well as 11 of the team’s 28 assists.
“My first time playing here (Madison Square Garden), that was an incredible atmosphere,” Flagg said. “I just love the energy, and saw so much blue in the crowd. It’s what coach (Jon Scheyer) told us we would see.”
James, who also made his Garden debut in Saturday’s win, added, “It felt like a lot of Duke fans in the building. It was an unbelievable atmosphere. My first time playing here, and it was great.”
Sion James, Cooper Flagg, and Duke improved to 24-3 overall with their Saturday night beatdown on Illinois at MSG – Image Credit: Duke Men’s Basketball
The Cooper Flagg Show at MSG
From the very beginning of pregame shoot-arounds and warm ups, those watching courtside could tell that Flagg was locked in, banking shots from all over the hardwood.
At the same time, ‘The Main Event,’ as many have deemed Flagg due to his superstar capabilities, which has him in current debates for National Player of the Year honors, took time to take in all of what ‘The World’s Most Famous Arena’ has to offer — glancing around, and looking up at the rafters on many occasions.
Check out Cooper Flagg’s warm ups at MSG here (WATCH) – Image Credit: Duke Men’s Basketball
“(Flagg is) going to be the first pick in the (NBA) Draft,” ESPN College Basketball analyst Jay Bilas recently said publicly.
“This is his first time in Madison Square Garden, it’s not going to be his last.”
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