CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Duke coach Jon Scheyer said it’s a “real long shot” that freshman star Cooper Flagg will be able to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament semifinals because of an ankle sprain.
The 6-foot-9 Flagg rolled his left ankle in the first half of the top-ranked Blue Devils’ quarterfinal win against Georgia Tech on Thursday. He hobbled off the court before heading to the locker room, then returned to the bench for the second half but didn’t play again.
Scheyer said Flagg already was dealing with swelling and said he would “have to be really convinced we should even consider seeing if he can go” in the semifinals Friday night. Scheyer said X-rays showed no fracture for Flagg, whom The Associated Press named Tuesday as the ACC player and newcomer of the year.
“It’s not about being ready to go tomorrow,” Scheyer said. “That’s not the most important thing for us. We’ve got to see if we can get him right for this run that we can make in the (NCAA) Tournament.
“But I would have to be really convinced that we should even consider seeing if he can go (Friday). He may not be able to go anyway. He probably won’t be able to go anyway. But I think it’s a real long shot.”
Flagg wasn’t available to speak with reporters afterward because he was receiving treatment for the injury, one of two significant hits the Blue Devils (29-3) took in the first half. The other was seeing versatile defensive forward Maliq Brown suffer another dislocation of his left shoulder, an injury he only recently returned from after missing nearly three weeks.
The question, posed with March Madness looming next week, is how long Duke might be without either player.
The Blue Devils were trailing 26-17 late in the first half when Flagg went up for a rebound and appeared to have his left foot clip the foot of Georgia Tech’s Baye Ndongo as he came down, causing his ankle to roll grotesquely and sending him crashing to the court, grabbing at the joint, with 2:46 left in the half.
Flagg hobbled back to the bench in clear distress, then bent over with his hands on the seats and pounded a chair with his right fist.
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After sitting on the bench for a few minutes, Flagg got up and put his arms around two teammates and was taken to the locker room for observation. He was later shown in a wheelchair in the bowels of the Spectrum Center.
Brown’s injury came moments earlier, at the 4:58 mark at the same end of the court.
The 6-foot-9 Brown is a key reserve and versatile defender who is viewed as a vital cog in Duke’s championship hopes. He returned against North Carolina last weekend after missing about three weeks with his previous shoulder injury.