Cooper Flagg reflects on Team USA experience among NBA stars: ‘For sure, I was nervous’

Cooper Flagg earned the respect of some of the top basketball players in the world during the Team USA scrimmage on Monday. The 17-year-old played like he belonged on the same court as LeBron James and Stephen Curry, not shying away from any matchup. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t have any pregame jitters.

“For sure, I was nervous,” Flagg told Yahoo Sports. “(But) as soon as I got on the court and stepped in between the lines, most of the pressure I was feeling or anything else I’m thinking about goes away. It was a huge opportunity and a great experience to be able to share the court with players at that level.”

At one point Flagg took Jrue Holiday off the dribble, and when Anthony Davis switched on the screen, he drained a contested 3 over Davis. He was all over the court, chasing rebounds, playing inside and outside, and showing why he’s favored to be the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft.

Team USA edged the Select Team, 74-73, but every player on the 12-man national team roster dapped up Flagg afterward.

Cooper Flagg is guarded by Stephen Curry during a practice session at Team USA’s training camp in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Flagg was the first college player to be invited to play for the Select Team in over 10 years. And his confidence coming in and playing against several future Hall of Famers didn’t happen overnight. The 6-foot-8 forward was in the gym with Jayson Tatum and Curry last summer for both of their invite-only camps. Both Tatum and Curry are very hands-on and jump into drills and scrimmages with the top high school players who attend. Tatum even invites other NBA players to participate so the high school players get a real dose of the NBA pace and physicality.

“It definitely helped being at the Tatum camp last year and playing 4-on-4 and 5-on-5 with a full team of pros,” Flagg said. “It kind of helped to start building that confidence. At the end of the day it just comes down to being confident in myself and what I can do.”

Flagg was the No. 1 player in the high school senior class and reclassified up a grade. He played his final high school season for powerhouse Montverde…

Source link : https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/cooper-flagg-reflects-on-team-usa-experience-among-nba-stars-for-sure-i-was-nervous-021606523.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-07-12 02:16:06

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.