A year from now, incoming Duke freshman Cooper Flagg could be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft and he's already adding to his resume. USA Basketball invited the 17-year-old to practice against Team USA ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Flagg was one of 15 players named Friday to the USA Select Team, a group that will help the national team prepare at a training camp next week in Las Vegas. There is a long history of select team players eventually joining the national team down the road, including current players Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton, who served in the role in 2021 ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
Flagg, a 6-foot-9 forward from Newport, Maine, is the first college player to play for the select team since 2013, when then-Creighton star Doug McDermott and Oklahoma State star Marcus Smart were on the equipment.
Flagg will be joined by a group of players fresh off of strong rookie seasons. Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller, who finished third in Rookie of the Year voting last season, will be on the team with Golden State Warriors Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis and Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. — all of whom were standout rookies — in 2023-24.
Veteran players Trey Murphy of the New Orleans Pelicans, Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons, Keegan Murray of the Sacramento Kings, Jalen Suggs of the Orlando Magic, Micah Potter of the Utah Jazz, Payton Pritchard of the champion Boston Celtics and young Houston Rockets forwards Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. have also been named to the team.
Also on the roster will be players with experience overseas in the FIBA-style game, including former NBA players Langston Galloway and Nigel Hayes-Davis.
The team will be coached by Magic head coach Jamahl Mosely.
“As a former member of the U.S. Select Team, I know how important and fun this opportunity is for each of these players,” USA Basketball CEO Grant Hill said in a statement. “There is a tremendous amount of talent on this Select Team with the important task of helping the 2024 U.S. Men's National Team on its path to the Olympic Games. Each of these athletes will play a role in our preparation while also developing the national team's pipeline for the future.”
