Cooper Flagg was possibly the most explosive player in college basketball in the 2024-25 season. Even though he only played one year for Jon Scheyer’s Duke Blue Devils, he left an indelible mark on Durham, North Carolina, before he joined the Dallas Mavericks as the first overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft.
However, it could’ve been a very different story. He could’ve ended up at Storrs, instead of Durham, playing for Dan Hurley’s UConn Huskies.
“I mean, I thought about UConn a lot. I mean, they were obviously really good. You know, when I was going through that process and had won a bunch, so that’s really appealing to me. You know, I like to win above everything else, so that was appealing, but I mean, also, I was in New England. Like it’s somewhat close to home. So it was definitely a little decision there,” said Flagg in an appearance on the “The Old Man and the Three” podcast.
Flagg was obviously referring to the national titles Dan Hurley had put the Huskies on in 2023 and 2024. In the end, it wasn’t meant to be, and things worked out for the best in Flagg’s case. Although he didn’t get his hands on the national title, he won a plethora of individual accolades, including the National College Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, and ACC Rookie of the Year awards.
Dan Hurley believes the UConn Huskies are still the best program in college basketball
The UConn Huskies had another chance to win a national championship this season, despite a disappointing regular season, where they lost the Big East regular-season and tournament titles to St. John’s. They had a memorable run in the March Madness, which included victories over Duke and Illinois.
However, in the end, they couldn’t withstand Michigan, which ended up getting crowned on Monday as national champions.
Despite this unusual season, which ended with the Huskies a couple of points away from the national title, Dan Hurley was adamant in the aftermath that his program is the best in the nation.
“Florida won the national championship last year. I’ll probably get in trouble for this. Michigan won the national championship this year,” Hurley said. “But (Karaban) helped to make UConn, I think, right now — we’re probably the premier program in college basketball.”
There’s no doubt that UConn remains one of the top five programs in the nation, but claiming the top spot is something only Michigan is allowed to do at the moment.
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