The nation’s top high school boys basketball recruit Cooper Flagg was playing at full intensity in the semifinal round of the prestigious Chipotle Nationals tournament on Friday, facing off against top-5 team Columbus, also from Florida. On Columbus is one of the top players in the class of 2025, Cameron Boozer, who at one point battled for the top spot in the 2025 rankings — with Boozer leading for an extended period.
Time has passed; Flagg has reclassified to the class of 2024, and has since sat atop the group of upcoming graduates. But in this game on Friday, it appeared there may still be some rivalry, which Flagg gave evidence to as he put on some light dramatics after throwing down a dunk.
You can see it in the first clip of this highlight package:
Cooper Flagg went for 2️⃣8️⃣ points in Montverde’s 84-70 victory vs. Columbus to advance to the #ChipotleNationals title game 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/f3olOXI1Ai
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) April 5, 2024
It wasn’t much, but you can see him use the rim to raise himself after he jammed it. It was enough for the referee to give him a technical.
It wasn’t enough to derail Montverde, who coasted to an 84-70 win over Columbus. Flagg recorded 28 points on 9-for-14 shooting, six rebounds, three assists, and a block and steal apiece.
Boozer scored 29 points, but was inefficient as he shot 10-for-24 from the field and 3-for-11 from 3. He showed his all-around skill, also posting four rebounds and five assists.
Montverde went on to beat Paul VI in the championship, securing the Chipotle Nationals championship and an undefeated season.
