Duke assistant coaches help Cooper Flagg develop en route to Final Four

SAN ANTONIO — Standing in the Duke locker room Thursday at the Alamodome in San Antonio, freshman star Cooper Flagg gave three reasons why the pressure that comes with stardom hasn’t been difficult to manage: a tight-knit circle, teammates and his coaches.

The Blue Devils’ coaching staff consists of head coach Jon Scheyer, associate head coach Chris Carrawell, assistant coaches Will Avery and Emanuel Dildy, special assistant to the head coach Mike Schrage, and director of player development Justin Robinson. Carrawell, Robinson and Dildy — three of the four Black coaches on Duke’s coaching staff — have helped Flagg grow as a leader and player and stay mentally sharp under immense spotlight.

Flagg, the Associated Press men’s basketball national Player of the Year who is being compared to Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, is averaging 18.9 points per game this season. The projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft hopes to earn Duke a trip to the national championship game when the Blue Devils play Houston on Saturday in the Final Four.

Carrawell has been the main person helping Flagg navigate his freshman year. The two often work together in practice and watch film. Carrawell played for Duke from 1996 to 2000, where he helped lead the Blue Devils to a Final Four appearance in 1999 and won the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year Award in 2000. He rejoined his alma mater as an assistant coach in March 2018 before being promoted to associate head coach by Scheyer in June 2021.

“C Well has been a big mentor for me,” Flagg said. “He went through a lot of the same things I’ve gone through. He and I have been building a relationship all year long; he’s helped me so much on the court, and we have a lot of routine things together with workouts. It’s been great having that relationship with someone like him.”

Carrawell has helped star players like Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero develop as players and handle the pressure that comes with being the arguably best player in the nation. Dildy said having Carrawell at his disposal has allowed Flagg to develop faster.

“[I tell him] ‘You’re not going to be perfect. You’ll have some trials and tribulations, so just stay with it,’ ” Carrawell told Andscape. “He’s pretty even-keeled, but he’s still a kid, so sometimes it’s hard for him not to get frustrated on every shot or think he has to be perfect, and he won’t be.”

Former NBA All-Star and current CBS college basketball analyst Grant Hill won back-to-back national titles with Duke in 1991 and 1992. Hill, who Flagg said he’s gotten wisdom from throughout Duke’s run to the Final Four, praised Carrawell’s ability to relate to star players.

“Chris is so experienced and [with] his personality, he’s been able to connect with people – particularly on the court with player development, just understanding the psyche of great players,” Hill told Andscape. “He’s been the ace in the hole going back to when Coach K [Mike Krzyzewski] was coaching. Whether it’s Banchero or whoever, he could push them, console them, and help them be the best version of themselves.”

Assistant coach Will Avery, hired by Scheyer in 2023, applauded Carrawell for being hands-on with Flagg. Although Avery works primarily with the guards, he recognized Flagg’s love for his teammates.

“He really cares about his teammates, and that’s one of the things that stuck out with me watching him, especially for a young guy,” Avery said.

Flagg and freshman guard Darren Harris were roommates last summer when they both joined the program. Harris said Flagg’s leadership and competitive nature have taught him how to be consistent on and off the court.

“When I’m going to practice and games, he always says, ‘Keep going [No.] 8,’ and it’s nice to hear a teammate have your back,” Harris said.

Flagg’s maturity as a leader is a byproduct of Robinson’s guidance. Robinson, son of former NBA champion David Robinson, was a walk-on at Duke in 2015 and became team captain during his senior year in 2019.

He called Flagg a natural leader but said he needed to grow in confidence and using his voice. Earlier this season, Robinson encouraged Flagg to be more vocally demanding of his teammates.

Flagg listened. Fifth-year senior Mason Gillis commended Flagg for talking constantly on the court and helping the team come together during games.

“J Rob is huge for showing us how to be good leaders and mentors,” Flagg said.

Scheyer hired Dildy in 2023 after he spent the previous two years as an assistant coach at the University of Oklahoma. Hill said having someone like Dildy on the coaching staff who didn’t play basketball at Duke is good for Flagg because it offers him a diverse perspective.

Dildy said Flagg entered the program with an advanced skillset, but he and Carrawell still try to help Flagg with the small details of basketball by watching film. Throughout the year, Dildy showed Flagg the different ways teams wanted to defend him.

Dildy also stressed the importance of setting up his teammates and made Flagg aware that, unlike in high school, he can’t just pop out and get open at the collegiate level. Flagg credited Dildy with helping him improve defensively and teaching him how to get in the right defensive positions.

“Dildy has a really good basketball mind,” Flagg said. “He sees the game in a different way. Listening to him, he sees a lot of things I might not see myself.”

For Carrawell, Flagg’s ability to receive correction from the coaching staff sets him apart.

“He doesn’t mind being coached hard, that’s the biggest thing,” Carrawell said. “He’s really humble, which is hard to be when you get so much attention, rightfully so. But he lets us coach him.”