Here’s what makes 17-year-old phenom Cooper Flagg a special talent for Duke
Cooper Flagg turned heads when he impressed at a Team USA Olympics scrimmage, but what can we expect from the young star at Duke.
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As has often been the case over the past 35 years, Duke will be one of the most closely followed teams in college basketball this season.
In their third season under coach Jon Scheyer, the No. 6 Blue Devils are off to a 2-0 start heading into Tuesday’s matchup against No. 18 Kentucky in the Champions Classic in Atlanta.
Much of Duke’s promise centers around a top-ranked freshman class – and, more specifically, a single player in it. Cooper Flagg is one of the most hyped prospects in recent memory, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 class who is widely projected to be the top pick in next year’s NBA draft. Over the summer, the 6-foot-9 forward added to his growing legend by holding his own while playing against the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team in Las Vegas before that squad of NBA all-stars earned a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
For as potentially transformative as he is, Flagg’s just one of four five-star recruits from the 2024 class on the Duke roster. And, at this early stage in the season, he’s not even the leading scorer in that group.
Through two games, Kon Knueppel has shown that the Blue Devils have more than just one star freshman. With 22 points against Maine in his college debut, Knueppel, a Milwaukee native, established himself as a name to watch for the rest of the season. Against Kentucky this week, he’ll have the opportunity to introduce himself to a much larger audience.
Heading into that matchup, here’s what you need to know about Knueppel, including his recruiting ranking, stats and more:
Kon Knueppel 247
Knueppel arrived at Duke as a five-star prospect and the No. 18 player nationally in the 2024 recruiting class, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings, which also had him as the No. 5 small forward nationally and the No. 1 player in Wisconsin.
He selected the Blue Devils over Alabama, Wisconsin, Marquette and Virginia, among others.
For all his recruiting accolades, Knueppel was actually the fourth-highest-rated player in Duke’s 2024 class, behind Flagg, No. 4 Khaman Maluach and No. 13 Isaiah Evans.
Kon Knueppel stats
Through his first two college games – wins over Maine and Army – Knueppel is averaging 18.5 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal per game while shooting 56.5% from the field and 50% from 3-point range. His scoring average leads all Duke players.
His excellent mark from beyond the arc isn’t a product of only a couple of attempts, either. Knueppel has shot 14 3s in just two games, making seven of them.
Kon Knueppel height
On Duke’s official roster, Knueppel is listed at 6-foot-7 and 217 pounds.
Kon Knueppel NBA
If Knueppel flew under the radar at all given his standing in Duke’s stellar 2024 class, that status didn’t last very long.
Knueppel has long intrigued those who scout players in advance of the NBA draft, many of whom had him going among the top 10 picks heading into his first (and potentially only) college season.
Here’s a sampling of where various outlets are projecting Knueppel to land:
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman compared Knueppel to former NBA wing Wally Szczerbiak and, while describing Knueppel’s game, wrote:
Even with Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster back, and Duke adding projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel is too polished of a scorer to take a back seat.
With a highly convincing shooting stroke, physical drives and mid-range shotmaking versatility, his game is built for off-ball, spot-up scoring that scouts should deem translatable.
Given how sharp he is around the perimeter, and how competitive he can look defensively, the athletic limitations shouldn’t set off alarms.
Knueppel has scouts talking after Duke’s exhibition games. The level of shotmaking skill, fundamentally sound shot prep and clear passing IQ have created obvious pro vibes early.
With strong, 6’7″ size, highly convincing shooting and various other ways to drive or finish plays inside the arc, he looks ready to lead the Blue Devils in scoring at different points throughout the season.
Kon Knueppel high school
Knueppel was a star at Wisconsin Lutheran High School in Milwaukee, where he won the Wisconsin Mr. Basketball award for the 2023-24 season.
As a senior, he averaged 25.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 59.4% overall, 39.5% from 3 and 84.9% from the free-throw line. That season, he led Wisconsin Lutheran to a 30-0 record and a state championship.
“Just watching him play against that highest level of competition is where you can see him play point guard,” Wisconsin Lutheran coach Ryan Walz told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel in September 2023, referring to Knueppel’s play on the AAU circuit. “You can see him come off screens and shoot it. You can see him use ball screens. You can see him slide into the post to take advantage of a mismatch. You get to see the diversity of his game.”
He comes from a strong basketball family. His father, also named Kon, scored more than 2,000 career points at Wisconsin Lutheran College and is a member of the school’s athletic hall of fame. His mother, Chari, is the all-time leading scorer in Wisconsin-Green Bay history, with 1,964 career points.
