Cooper Flagg's Mom Kelly Expects Son to Return 'Very Soon' for Duke amid Injury Rehab

The mother of Duke freshman Cooper Flagg believes he could be back on the court "very soon" after he suffered an ankle sprain in the ACC tournament.

Kelly Flagg provided that timetable for her son's return when speaking to Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports.

Cooper went down in the Blue Devils' 78-70 victory over Georgia Tech in the ACC quarterfinals, logging 15 minutes in the contest. He was subsequently held out of their wins over North Carolina and Louisville as they were crowned champions.

Duke received a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and leads the East region of the bracket. It awaits the winner of American and Mount St. Mary's matchup in the First Four.

Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer told ESPN's Rece Davis the team is aiming to have Flagg for its first-round game Friday.

"I want to get Coop back as quickly as we can, and he wants to do the same," Scheyer said. "... So our goal is for Friday, no question about it. I know that's his goal as well."

Flagg has perhaps surpassed his massive hype in 2024-25. The presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, he's the team leader in points (18.9), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.1), steals (1.5) and blocks (1.2).

Needless to say, Duke's hopes of winning a sixth national championship rest squarely on Flagg's shoulders.