Cooper Flagg, the No. 1-ranked player in hoops recruiting class of 2024, to visit KU

Cooper Flagg, the country’s top-ranked high school prospect in the recruiting class of 2024, will make an official visit to Kansas during the upcoming school year, 247sports.com reported Wednesday.

Flagg, a 6-foot-8, 195-pound senior forward from Montverde (Florida) Academy, also will make campus visits to Duke and UConn, according to Flagg’s mother, Kelly, a former basketball player at the University of Maine.

No dates for visits have yet been set.

Flagg, who is originally from Newport, Maine, also is being recruited by UCLA, Texas, Villanova, Michigan and many other programs.

Wednesday’s announcement of his three upcoming visits classifies as big news in the recruiting world, considering the 16-year-old Flagg (he turns 17 in December) just recently decided to switch from the recruiting Class of 2025 to 2024. He’s ranked No. 1 in the Class of 2024 by Rivals.com, 247sports.com and On3.com. ESPN.com has yet to update its rankings for the Class of 2024 since Flagg’s decision two weeks ago to move up a year.

Flagg has made an unofficial visit to Duke, a school that has been considered the favorite in Flagg’s recruitment.

“One would think the hope in Durham is for Cooper Flagg — a brilliant, perhaps generational, see-everything specimen on both ends of the court — to schedule his Duke basketball official visit to coincide with Countdown to Craziness on Oct. 20, just a few weeks before the early signing period for this year’s crop of high school seniors,” wrote Matt Giles of SI.com.

Of course, Flagg could conceivably attend KU’s Late Night in the Phog, set for Oct. 6.

Flagg, who has said he grew up a fan of the Blue Devils, once referring to Duke as his “dream school,” dominated at the recent Peach Jam AAU tournament. He averaged 25.4 points, 13.0 rebounds, 6.8 blocks and 5.7 assists per game for Maine United.

According to the Bangor Daily News, Cooper and his twin brother, Ace, led Nokomis High to its first Maine state championship in the 2021-22 season. The twins then transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida for their sophomore season.

“The most common name heard in reference to Cooper Flagg is Andrei Kirilenko,” wrote Jamie Shaw of On3.com. “When you watch Flagg, you can see shades of Kirilenko in his game. The efficiency Flagg plays with on the offensive end, coupled with possessing game-changing defensive attributes, is reminiscent of the former Utah Jazz wing.

“Flagg is showing comfort on the ball, initiating the offense and getting to his spots in the halfcourt. He knows his comfort areas and gets there within two and three dribbles, possessing a confident array of go-tos and counters in the mid-to-high post,” Shaw added.

Travis Branham of 247sports.com wrote of Flagg: “He is an elite two-way prospect. His instincts are off the charts on both ends of the floor and he competes with a quiet type of killer instinct. He’s a defensive standout and particularly dominant as an off-ball defender. In fact, he’s as good of an underclassman shot-blocker as I’ve seen at his size.

“Offensively, he’s an excellent passer with a good foundation of early skill and developing playmaking ability. His footwork is excellent. His shooting and handling are both good and continuously improving. He doesn’t necessarily need to be the focal point on that end of the floor, but he’s shown he’s plenty capable of it. Physically, frame’s Flagg is solid enough to absorb contact now and will only add additional muscle mass in the coming years.”

KU has received a commitment from a top five-ranked player in the class of 2024. Flory Bidunga, 6-8, 215-pound forward from Kokomo (Indiana) High, recently chose KU over Auburn, Duke and Michigan. Bidunga also considered Indiana, Kentucky, Florida, Cincinnati, Purdue, Michigan State and others during the recruiting process.

“Five-star Bidunga is an explosive athlete. The lefty moves in a way that other 6-foot-10 players don’t. He rebounds it well, he defends well, and he finishes — with authority — above the rim,” wrote Joe Tipton of On3.com.