SPRINGFIELD – A capacity crowd filled in shoulder-to-shoulder on the wooden bleachers inside Springfield College’s Blake Arena, about 2,000 fans, young and old, divided evenly along each side of the court to see the nation’s No. 1 recruit, Cooper Flagg, in the Hoophall Classic.
Kids, standing at the end of the bleachers where Flagg and his Montverde Academy team waited for their cue to make an entrance, tested the strength of the black metal rails as they peered over to capture whatever glimpse they could of the star prospect and his team. Swells grew in the corners as eager spectators walked slowly, with half their attention locked on the 6-foot-9 phenom who’d taken to the court with a high-flying dunk exhibition, finding any bit of space to squeeze into.
The size of the crowd could be likened to the flock that filled the same building for Mikey Williams, a former internet sensation and the first high school athlete to sign a shoe deal, in the 2022 event. The only time it’s been bigger, at least in the last few years, was when Bronny James, son of LeBron, and his Sierra Canyon team played against Alex Antetokounmpo, brother of Giannis, in 2020.
These scenes are what Flagg has gotten used to.
“This is the type of atmosphere that I love the most,” he said after the game. “I feel like I kind of thrive in these type of moments, these environments. I really just soak it all in and have fun in the moment.”
The scene in Blake Arena before Montverde-Oak Hill tonight, lots of cameras in place for Cooper Flagg’s intro. pic.twitter.com/C0vDwF0Qmf
— Joe Arruda (@joearruda9) January 13, 2024
Just a week ago, Montverde played two games before a capacity crowd of about 6,000 in Flagg’s home state of Maine. Tickets for the homecoming event sold out within 12 hours, according to the Bangor Daily News.
“If I was a presidential candidate I would try to get his endorsement in Maine,” legendary Montverde head coach Kevin Boyle quipped.
The national basketball powerhouse continued its New England tour with what has become an annual stop at the Hoophall Classic, put on by the Basketball Hall of Fame. The prime-time game on Friday night against Oak Hill Academy was the first of three at the event.
It was only about a minute in before Flagg was above the rim flushing home a putback dunk, gesturing to raise the roof as the crowd exploded. He dunked three more times in the first half and made two of his three 3-point attempts, all while…
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