The Maine Attraction

Friday can be a time for “news dumps” in college basketball, and this time around, we got a lot to share. Between schedule updates and the future studs in action at Peach Jam, there is plenty to discuss.

Let’s get to the news

STARTING FIVE

1. Cooper Flagg is him

It’s hard to get invested in a high school sophomore, but when the consensus view is that a star is on the horizon, you pay attention. And that’s Cooper Flagg, a 6-8 forward from Maine who plays for Maine United on the AAU circuit. He’s been an absolute beast at this week’s Peach Jam, filling up the stat sheet and affecting the game on both ends.

Flagg burst onto the national radar after performances on the Team USA U17 team, including getting nearly 20 rebounds in the gold medal victory over Spain. He averaged over 20 ppg and 12 rpg this past season in high school and will be transferring to powerhouse Montverde Academy to upgrade his level of competition.

We throw around the term “all-around” for players who can shoot, pass and play defense at an above-average level. Flagg, however, is borderline elite on both ends of the court. Considering that he probably hasn’t stopped growing, Flagg could potentially become 6-10 or taller, making him even more of a quality interior defender.

As of now, the top offers for Flagg include Duke, Michigan, West Virginia, and Iowa. After this week, expect all the high majors to seriously swoon for Flagg. We’re still about 1,000 days before he plays college basketball, but the next coveted alpha dog has emerged.

2. NCAA changes to transfer “windows”

The NCAA Division I Council has approved plans to overhaul the “transfer portal,” allowing players to transfer multiple times without a waiver, along with instituting a 45 to 60 day window after the championships for fall and winter sports. In basketball, that means players will have until around the beginning of June to declare their intentions to transfer and retain immediate eligibility.

None of this is surprising or is going to change much going forward. This offseason alone, players who have transferred twice have already either gotten a waiver to play next season or are in the process of doing so.

The NCAA had no purpose in muddying the waiver process; even transfer skeptics agree that players should be able to leave when a coach gets fired or when they get “ran off” in favor of newcomers to the roster. Well, that accounts for nearly half of the portal, so why not just let everyone be eligible?

The transfer portal will never be a smooth or easy process but this should help clean things up a little bit for college basketball.

3. Top schools announced non-conference schedules

We’re now up to 30+ teams with complete non-conference schedules for the 2022-23 season. The latest batch to announce is three projected top-20 preseason teams in Duke, Villanova, and Texas. Here are some notable matchups for each.

Duke’s non-conference schedule

We’ll have to wait until the Arizona series for Duke to play a true non-conference road game outside of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, but this is still an intriguing set of games. The Ohio State matchup is a revenge opportunity after losing to them a year ago as the No. 1 team.

And just a week later they’ll go up against the offensively potent Iowa Hawkeyes in the Jimmy V Classic. The freshmen frontcourt will have their hands full with Kris Murray. Add in Kansas in the annual Champions Classic and 2 to 3 top-25 caliber matchups in the PK85, and the Blue Devils have numerous chances at résumé building.

Villanova’s non-conference schedule

Outside of the PK85, the road game at Michigan State stands out as an enticing matchup. Additionally, the battle against Oklahoma in the Big East/Big 12 series will be competitive, while the game against Boston College could be a trap game (well…maybe. Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves). In Year 1 of the Kyle Neptune era, this is a solid slate of games to work with, especially since the rest of the “Big 5” in Philadelphia doesn’t pose much of a challenge to ‘Nova.

Texas non-conference schedule

The one game that isn’t official yet for Texas is the Pac-12 matchup. However, the rumored opponent is Stanford, a projected top-5 team in the conference after returning Harrison Ingram for his sophomore season.

The three other matchups to watch come against preseason top-10 teams, Gonzaga and Creighton at home, along with Illinois in the Jimmy V Classic. This schedule lines up for the Longhorns to get at least two out of the four (while not losing any buy games), and establish their résumé heading into Big 12 play.

4. Frontcourt duos with the highest ceilings

This week’s Field of 68 rankings is all about the frontcourt and which team’s projected starting duo will do the most damage next season. Thursday was 10-6 (follow The Field of 68 on Twitter for the top-5 on Friday), featuring Duke’s top freshmen and a few all-conference performers.

Of this group, the Texas Tech pairing of Kevin Obanor and Utah Valley transfer Fardaws Aimaq sticks out the most, as both are former mid-major stars. Obanor joined the Big 12 program after averaging 18.7 ppg and 9.6 rpg at Oral Roberts while playing like one of the best stretch 4s in the country. His numbers slipped to 10.0 ppg and 5.5 rpg on 34% three-point shooting while playing next to Bryson Williams in the frontcourt (though his defense improved exponentially).

Aimaq, on the other hand, averaged 18.9 ppg and 13.6 rpg last season and was the WAC Defensive Player of the Year. He put up some major stats at UVU, but how will he translate to the Big 12? The Red Raiders play at a slower pace, and there will be a better supporting cast so the numbers likely dip.

But what will Aimaq and Obanor need to do to be a top-10 duo? The team success will certainly play a part in it. But No. 6 is a high spot for two guys with one combined year at the high-major level. Yet in order for Texas Tech to be a contender, the frontline will have to lead the way.

5. Another 5-star enters the 2022 class

While we’re all waiting on the final news of 2023 prospect GG Jackson’s re-class, one player that was long rumored to do the same has made it official. Ugonna Kingsley Onyenso is a consensus top-30 recruit and five-star center, listed at 6-11 and 200 pounds.

The big man projects to be a quality rim protector with a high motor. By further developing his offensive game and adding more muscle, Kingsley Onyenso can live up to his lofty pedigree.

His final destination won’t be much of a surprise. He’s taken visits to both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, but as of now, the heavy favorite to land Kingsley Onyenso is Kentucky. They have National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe back but this prospect could compete with Damion Collins for backup minutes or redshirt like Shaedon Sharpe and just practice with the team for a year.

Okay, well… Big Blue Nation hopes he won’t be exactly like Sharpe.

TRIVIA TIME

Flagged for the NBA

Maine prospect Cooper Flagg is just 15 but seems destined to be an NBA Draft selection in 2026. Maybe 2027.

How many times has a Maine native been drafted?

The answer is at the bottom.

BUY OR SELL

Can Jeremy Roach lead Duke to a national title?

Duke has a first-year coach in Jon Scheyer and a bunch of freshmen for next season. They’ll be relying on junior point guard Jeremy Roach to run the offense and catalyze another deep run in March.

After last season, has Roach swayed some of his doubters? Check out below why John Fanta isn’t sold on the point guard being “the guy” for the Blue Devils next season. Do you agree?

Make sure to subscribe to The Field of 68 on YouTube.

THE FAST BREAK

Links as you wonder why the Lakers just didn’t trade for Buddy Hield last year.

• Marquette’s non-conference schedule features Purdue, Wisconsin, and Baylor.

• After not landing any guards this offseason, could Louisville be forced to play Tennessee State transfer and walk-on guard Hercy Miller key minutes this season?

• Idaho’s non-con schedule features trips to Nebraska and USC.

• HC Andy Kennedy of UAB signs multi-year extension through ‘27-28

• Clemson HC Brad Brownell says that PJ Hall should be back from an injury sometime in November.

• Five-star prospect Kwame Evans is set to decide on August 4th.

• Could San Diego State be part of the Pac-12 in the future?

Thanks for reading and enjoy your weekend! Before you leave, go ahead and share and let a friend know about The Field of 68 Daily.

Answer: One. Jeff Turner in 1984