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What Duke basketball’s Cooper Flagg, Blue Devils recruits did in Nike Hoop Summit game
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- What Duke basketball’s Cooper Flagg, Blue Devils recruits did in Nike Hoop Summit game
Three of Duke basketball 's incoming recruits for the 2024-25 season got to showcase their skills Saturday at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland , Oregon.
Cooper Flagg , Khaman Maluach, Isaiah Evans and Patrick Ngongba II are a part of head coach Jon Scheyer's 2024 recruiting class, which is the top-ranked group according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
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Flagg, Evans and Ngongba suited up for the USA team, while Maluach represented the Blue Devils on the World squad at the Moda Center, home of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers .
UNC recruit Ian Jackson, the headliner for head coach Hubert Davis' 2024 class, also played for Team USA, which earned a 98-75 win in the 25th edition of the event. The USA has an 18-7 lead in the Hoops Summit.
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Here's a look at how each of Duke's recruits and UNC's top recruit fared in Saturday's international showcase, which featured some of the best high school basketball players in the world.
Cooper Flagg, Duke basketball
The 6-foot-9 wing from Maine was named the Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 16.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 blocks per game while playing for undefeated Montverde Academy this season. Flagg, who was in the starting lineup for Team USA on Saturday, was the star of the game. Despite foul trouble, Flagg continued to show his versatility as a scorer and defender, finishing with 19 points and 11 rebounds in a double-double performance.
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Ian Jackson, UNC basketball
A 6-foot-5 guard, Jackson had 21 points in the McDonald's All-American game as one of the event's top performers. Jackson, who was in the starting lineup for Team USA on Saturday, didn't fare as well as he did in the McDonald's All-American game. But Jackson's speed in the open court and his ability to finish at the rim continue to be strengths that he'll be able to show off with the Tar Heels. He had a team-high four assists for Team USA.
Khaman Maluach, Duke basketball
The 7-foot-2 center played the last two seasons for the NBA Academy in Africa and will play for South Sudan in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Like Flagg, Maluach is expected to be one of the top picks in the 2025 NBA Draft. He was the lone Duke player representing the World team, finishing with a few buckets around the rim. Known as an elite shot blocker and rebounder, Maluach flashed those skills in Saturday's showcase.
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Isaiah Evans, Duke basketball
The 6-foot-7 wing from Huntersville finished his run at North Mecklenburg as the top player in North Carolina. Evans averaged 27.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2.4 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game in his final high school season. He had a few buckets, including a late dunk on a pass from Flagg, for Team USA. Evans looked the part as a rangy wing that can wreak havoc for Duke next season.
Patrick Ngongba II, Duke basketball
The 6-foot-11 Ngongba spent most of his senior season recovering from a broken foot, but the talent is undeniable as he prepares to join the Blue Devils. After averaging 6.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in limited action across three games at Chipotle Nationals, Ngongba was unavailable for Saturday's game.
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Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: 2024 Nike Hoop Summit: Cooper Flagg, Duke basketball recruits shine
