April 2, 2025

DUKE’S COOPER FLAGG RECIPIENT OF 2025 LUTE OLSON AWARD
The top player in division I college basketball

SAN ANTONIO, TX -- Duke’s Cooper Flagg is the recipient of the 2025 Lute Olson award, which is presented annually to the top player in division I college basketball.

The 6-foot-9 native of Newport, Maine leads No. 1 Duke in points (682), rebounds (271), assists (151) and steals (50), and is second in blocks (47). He ranks among the Top 10 in the ACC in four of the five major statistical categories - scoring (3rd), rebounding (9th), assists (8th) and blocked shots (8th).

He garnered both ACC player and rookie of the week honors in the same week five times this season, becoming the first player in ACC history to sweep the conference weekly awards more than twice. His 12 ACC Rookie of the Week citations are a new conference record.

“The best freshman in America is the best player in America,” said Angela Lento, Vice President of CollegeInsider.com.  “Nobody impacts winning more than Cooper Flagg. He is hands down the most complete player in college basketball.”

Flagg became the youngest player in NCAA history to post a 40-point game when he broke the Duke and ACC freshman single-game scoring records with 42 points versus Notre Dame on Jan. 11, and registered the first NCAA Tournament performance with at least 30 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three blocks in Duke's Sweet 16 victory over Arizona on March 27 and was named East Region Most Outstanding Player.

The Newport, Maine native becomes the first player to win the Kyle Macy National Freshman of the Year and the Lute Olson National Player of the Year in the same season.

The award is named in honor of Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson, who won 776 games in 34 seasons, 24 of which were spent at the University of Arizona. During that stretch he led the Wildcats to 11 Pac-10 Conference titles, 23 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, four Final Four appearances and a National Championship in 1997.

Olson is one of just 25 head coaches in NCAA history to win 700 or more games (all divisions) and ranks ninth on the Division I career victories list. He finished with a winning percentage of .731 and is the all-time winningest coach in Arizona history with a 587-190 record (.755). He was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year seven times.

Olson also guided Arizona to 20 consecutive 20-win seasons and is one of only three coaches in NCAA history to record 29 or more 20-win seasons.

In 2002, Olson was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Coach Olson passed away on August 27, 2020.

LUTE OLSON AWARD FINALISTS