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Cooper Flagg joins an illustrious group of freshmen to win the Wooden Award

The freshman phenom is looking to cap off his lone season at Duke with a national championship to dethrone a college basketball legend as the greatest freshman of all-time.
ByJosh Yourish|
Mar 29, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) celebrates with guard Kon Knueppel (7)
Mar 29, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) celebrates with guard Kon Knueppel (7) | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

On Saturday night before his Duke Blue Devils took the floor in San Antonio to face Houston in the Final Four, Cooper Flagg was officially named the winner of the Wooden Award as the best player in men’s college basketball. The 18-year-old phenom, who beat out Auburn senior forward Johni Broome, is just the fourth freshman in the sport’s history to win the award. 

Flagg averaged 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists as he led Duke to the regular season ACC Title and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Now in the Final Four, there was some concern that the 6-foot-9 product of Newport, Maine would not be able to play in the NCAA Tournament after spraining his ankle in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. He did not return as the Blue Devils downed North Carolina and Louisville for the title but was back at 100% to lead his team through Mount Saint Mary’s, Baylor, Arizona, and Alabama in the East Region. 

Duke is looking to end the season with a national championship, but the program’s best freshman since Zion Williamson, and arguably the best ever, has already racked up nearly every individual accolade possible as a First-Team All-American and the AP National Player of the Year. 

Every freshman to win the Wooden Award

  • Cooper Flagg, Duke: 2025
  • Zion Williamson, Duke: 2019
  • Anthony Davis, Kentucky: 2012
  • Kevin Durant, Texas: 2007

That list of college basketball and NBA stars is excellent company for Flagg to keep, but with his advanced defensive prowess and rare playmaking skillset in a 6-foot-9 frame, I’d argue that he’s had the best freshman season of the group. To cement that legacy, however, he may need to win two more games in San Antonio, starting on Saturday night against Houston.

While Williamson and Durant fell short in March Madness, Davis led Kentucky to a national championship in 2012 and despite going 1-10 from the field for six points, he was the best player on the floor against Kansas with 16 rebounds, five assists, six blocks, and three steals.

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