Jan. 16, 2025

DUKE’S COOPER FLAGG EARNS MID-SEASON HONORS
Flagg is the youngest player in NCAA history to score 40 points in game

BOSTON, MA -- Duke University’s Cooper Flagg is the recipient of the Lute Olson award ‘Mid-Season’ honors. The award is presented annually to the top player in division I college basketball.

Flagg, who has been voted ACC Rookie of the Week six times and ACC Player of the Week three times, leads the Blue Devils in points (318), rebounds (140), assists (69), steals (26) and blocked shots (20).

On January 11 he broke the Duke and ACC freshman scoring records with 42 points versus Notre Dame, which earned him Lute Olson National Player of the Week for the second time this season.

Flagg’s 42 points are the most by a Duke player in a game since Danny Ferry’s 58-point performance at Miami on Dec. 10, 1988. His 27-point second half against the Irish is the highest-scoring half by a Blue Devil since Luke Kennard posted 30 points in the second half at Wake Forest (Jan. 28, 2017).

The 6-foot-9 freshman became the youngest player in NCAA history to have a 40-point game, according to Real Sports.

“Cooper Flagg was the easy choice for mid-season honors,” said Angela Lento, Vice President College Insider.” He has been the best player in college basketball and a big reason why I thought early on that Duke is Final Four bound this 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 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.

The recipient of the annual award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com.

The 2025 award will be announced in San Antonio, TX, site of the men’s Division I Basketball Championship.

NOTE: Portions of the release came from the Duke University athletic website.