Legendary ESPN college basketball voice Dick Vitale has been around the game for decades. So when he speaks, his voice tends to carry.
With college basketball in full swing, Vitale named his Prime Time Performers, PTP-ers to those that know, for the 2024-25 season. In doing so, Vitale named who he believed was the best college basketball player in America:
Duke’s Cooper Flagg.
“We’re talking about the consensus No. 1 recruit. This kid is 17 years old and rocking Cameron Indoor,” Vitale wrote on ESPN.com. Vitale has always fawned over the Dukies, and that trend continued in his praise of Flagg.
“He’s a highlight every night, a two-way playmaker with more hops than a kangaroo. But he’s got pressure on his shoulders. Can he handle it?”
Flagg had a superb showing in Tuesday night’s Champions Classic. That is, well, until the final two minutes. Flagg committed a few ghastly turnovers down the stretch, which led to Kentucky stunning the Blue Devils and defeating them 77-72. It was Kentucky’s first win over Duke in nearly a decade.
Going into the season, Flagg and Duke received a lot of praise and promise. Time will tell to see if he can live up to it. At least for a little while on Tuesday night, Flagg looked like the best player in the country. He’ll just have to finish strong next time.
[ESPN.com]
