Duke University’s basketball team dominated Florida State 100-65 on Saturday, but the victory was overshadowed by a tense moment in the first half involving freshman star Cooper Flagg. A hard foul and an eye poke forced Flagg to leave the court, sparking concern among coaches, teammates, and fans. However, Flagg made a quick recovery and returned to the game, finishing with 16 points.
Head coach Jon Scheyer shared his anxiety over the situation after the game, admitting that seeing Flagg, usually unfazed, looking scared was unsettling. “As a basketball player, you don’t think about injuring your eye,” Scheyer said. “I thought he was scared at first, rightfully so, because you don’t know how serious or permanent it could be. I was really nervous about him.”
Flagg, who sat out for over 11 minutes while being evaluated by the team’s eye doctor, returned to action after the break. Scheyer praised Flagg’s toughness, noting that the freshman pushed through minor vision issues. “He’s so tough. His mom was yelling at him to rebound and defend, so I didn’t have to say a whole lot,” Scheyer added.
Flagg’s resilience was also noted by his teammates. Sion James lauded Flagg for his perseverance after suffering the brutal foul. “He was beat up and scratched up,” James said. “Cooper is one of the toughest guys I’ve ever played with. I trusted that if he was all right, he’d be back. He was back and better than ever.”
This incident is just another example of Flagg’s toughness, according to James. “That’s not the craziest thing we’ve seen him do all year,” he said. “We’ve seen him do crazier things. That’s what makes him who he is.”
With the injury scare behind him, Flagg is poised to continue leading Duke as they pursue a national championship this season.
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