Cooper Flagg is alone at the top of the high school basketball recruiting scene, according to a new ranking from ESPN.

The sports giant’s website lists Flagg, a Newport native, as the best high school basketball prospect in the country, regardless of class. Flagg reclassified in August to the Class of 2024, and is going into his senior year at Montverde Academy in Florida.

ESPN had previously listed Flagg as the No. 2 prospect of the 2025 class behind Cameron Boozer, but listed him ahead of Boozer and all other high school players in its newest rankings. Paul Biancardi of ESPN said that the reasoning was based on Flagg’s summer play, and wrote that Flagg “was a sensation all summer, producing monster triple-doubles while impacting both ends of the floor. He improved at finishing through contact and as a playmaker, showing the ability to find teammates for open 3-point looks when facing heavy defensive attention.”

Flagg, who played his freshman year at Nokomis Regional High in 2021-22 and led the Warriors to the Class A title, has been heavily recruited by NCAA Division I power conference schools since reaching high school. The 2022 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year announced recently that he’ll be making official visits to Duke, Connecticut and Kansas, with the trips likely taking place this fall.

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