Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 hoops recruit in class of 2024, cancels weekend visit to KU
Cooper Flagg, the No. 1-ranked prospect in the high school basketball recruiting class of 2024, has canceled his weekend official visit to Kansas, several recruiting services reported Monday.
Flagg, a 6-foot-8, 195-pound senior forward from Montverde (Florida) Academy, will not reschedule the visit, his mother told 247Sports.com and Zagsblog.com.
This would apparently leave UConn and Duke as Flagg’s two finalists barring any other changes in his recruitment.
Flagg, who is originally from Newport, Maine, visited UConn on Sept. 22-24. He will visit Duke on Oct. 20-22. Earlier he also heard from UCLA, Texas, Villanova, Michigan and many other programs. He had previously planned on attending Friday’s Late Night in the Phog as part of a Friday-Sunday trip to KU’s campus.
Flagg — he turns 17 in December — recently announced plans to switch from the recruiting class of 2025 to 2024.
“Obviously, the cancellation of a visit to Lawrence is a pretty big blow to any chances that Bill Self and the Jayhawks had of landing (Flagg),” Eric Bossi of 247Sports.com wrote Monday. “With the Jayhawks most likely out of the running — or at best facing a steep uphill climb — we are left with Duke’s Jon Scheyer and UConn’s Dan Hurley fighting it out for the skilled and athletic Flagg.”
Bossi noted that “since taking a late summer unofficial to Duke and his recent official visit to UConn, Flagg has remained tight-lipped about the status of his recruitment. Throughout the process, though, behind the scenes indications have been that the Blue Devils began the process as the team to beat and that they are still in a strong position.”
Top 50 prospect Passmore to attend Late Night in Phog
KU — which has received commitments from Flory Bidunga, a 6-9, 220-pound senior forward from Kokomo (Indiana) High School, and Labaron Philon, a 6-3, 175-pound senior point guard out of Link Academy in Branson, Missouri — will play host to Rakease Passmore, a 6-5, 190-pound senior shooting guard from Combine Academy in Lincolnton, North Carolina, this weekend.
He is slated to be in Lawrence in time to attend Friday’s Late Night in the Phog, set for a 6:30 p.m. start at Allen Fieldhouse. Bidunga also is slated to attend Late Night.
Passmore has narrowed his list of prospective colleges to Kansas, Oklahoma, LSU and Arkansas.
Originally from Palatka, Florida, Passmore is ranked No. 36 in the recruiting class of 2024 by Rivals.com, No. 48 by 247Sports.com and No. 52 by ESPN.com.
He has made official visits to Oklahoma and LSU.
Earlier, he had Indiana, Oregon, Missouri, Wake Forest, Miami, North Carolina State, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, USC, Virginia, Iowa, Creighton, Houston and others on his list.
Passmore is a Team Thad AAU teammate of future Jayhawk guard Philon. Passmore played at A.C. Reynolds High School in Asheville, North Carolina, before transferring to Combine his junior season of high school.
Philon, originally from Mobile, Alabama, chose KU over Cincinnati, Alabama and Mississippi. He is ranked No. 27 in the recruiting class of 2024 by 247Sports.com, No. 35 by ESPN.com and No. 38 by Rivals.com.
Bidunga is ranked No. 5 by Rivals.com and 247Sports.com and No. 6 by ESPN.com. He chose KU over Duke, Auburn and Michigan.
