Duke's Flagg headlines USA Select Team
Incoming Duke freshman and potential No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft Cooper Flagg was named to the USA Select Team on Friday.
The Select Team will help the national squad prepare for the 2024 Paris Olympics at a training camp in Las Vegas next week.
Flagg was the top-ranked recruit on ESPN's 2024 rankings.
The 6-foot-9 forward is the only collegiate player on the Select Team's 15-man roster, which features 12 NBA players. Two players on European rosters are also on the team to help the U.S. prepare for FIBA rules.
Orlando Magic bench boss Jamahl Mosley will coach the squad.
The 2024 Select Team 👊@OrlandoMagic head coach Jamahl Mosley will serve as head coach of the Select Team that will train with the 🇺🇸 #USABMNT in Las Vegas pic.twitter.com/BV2UTxbGRn
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) June 28, 2024
Flagg's the first collegiate player to be a part of the Select Team since former Creighton star Doug McDermott and Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart were on the roster in 2013.
The Select Team has been a proven pipeline for the senior program, as Team USA's Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton played for the squad ahead of the Tokyo Games in 2021.
"As a former member of the USA Select Team, I know how important and fun this opportunity is for each of these players," USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill said in a statement. "Each of these athletes will play a role in our preparation as we also develop the national team pipeline for the future."
The Americans are looking to win their fifth straight Olympic gold medal. Team USA will play in Group C at the Games alongside Serbia, South Sudan, and the winner of an Olympic qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico. That tourney includes Mexico, Ivory Coast, Lithuania, Italy, Puerto Rico, and Bahrain.
The U.S. takes on Canada in an exhibition game on July 10 in Las Vegas before facing Australia, Serbia, South Sudan, and Germany to gear up for the Paris Games. Team USA opens the Olympics against Serbia on July 28.