All-Star festivities march on in high school basketball, as the Nike Hoop Summit took place in Portland, Ore., this week. Six future Blue Devils participated in the event between the women’s and men’s games, so let’s take a look at how they performed:
Team USA
Cooper Flagg, F
Flagg continues to generate hype at every stop, coming fresh off a national championship with Montverde Academy when the No. 1 recruit arrived in Oregon for the Hoop Summit. After not quite filling the stat sheet at the McDonald’s All-American game, the Newport, Maine native dominated Saturday evening, looking the part of a top recruit and leading Team USA in scoring on the way to an impressive 98-75 over a stacked World lineup.
Despite playing limited minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, Flagg wasted no time taking over the game after halftime, knocking down countless tough jumpers and getting to the rim at will. The 6-foot-9 forward also did work on the boards, pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds and cementing himself as a top incoming freshman and likely a staple in Durham from day one.
Check out his highlights from the game here:
Isaiah Evans, G
Evans and Flagg teamed up once again after leading the East team to a win at the McDonald’s event, and the North Mecklenburg High School product had a better night than he did down in Houston. The microwave scorer only played five minutes in the contest, but was 3-for-4 from the floor after being scoreless against the West squad last week.
The highlight of the game for both Evans and for any Blue Devil fans tuning in was likely his dunk late in the fourth quarter, where he took a fast-break pass from Flagg and jammed it home while his future teammate jumped behind him in celebration. Watch that play here.
Arianna Roberson, C
Roberson was Duke’s lone participant on the women’s section of Team USA, and the San Antonio native had another solid showing just like she did in Houston. The center put up a stat line of three points, five rebounds and one steal en route to a victory against Team World.
Roberson’s lone basket came off a tempo play after a made basket from future teammate Toby Fournier on the other end, and you can watch that finish here.
Note: Patrick Ngongba II was invited but did not play in the game as he still is recovering from a foot injury.
Team World
Toby Fournier, F
Fournier was selected as Duke’s sole participant on the women’s international side, and the Toronto native made the most of her opportunity. The top-10 recruit’s skills down low were on full display, as she racked up 11 points and seven rebounds in a tight loss. She also showed her ability to handle the ball, grabbing a rebound in the second quarter and taking it coast-to-coast before kicking it out to an open teammate for a three. Check out that play.
Khaman Maluach, C
Maluach got his first taste of sharing a floor with Flagg and Evans Saturday, as the South Sudan native and recent Duke commit was the starting center for the international team. While he did not overly impress on the offensive end, going 1-for-6 from the field, the defensive prowess that is his calling card as a prospect was on full display both during the week at practice and late in the contest itself, as he denied an attempted drive from Flagg and forced a turnover.
You can see his highlights from an impressive week of practice here:
While All-Star games continue to happen, Duke fans can keep an eye on these players if they want to get excited about next winter in Durham.
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