Duke freshman Cooper Flagg leads the USA National Team

A year later, Duke freshman Cooper Flagg was a likely No. 1 pick in the NBA draft and already had a ton of accomplishments on his resume, so the United States Basketball Association invited the 17-year-old to train with the U.S. team ahead of the Paris Olympics.

Flagg was one of 15 players named to the U.S. National Team on Friday, which will help prepare the team for a training camp in Las Vegas next week. There is a long history of players from the National Team eventually joining the team, including current players Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton, who both starred for the national team ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Flagg, a 6-foot-9 forward from Newport, Maine, is the first collegiate player to play for the Select Team since 2013, a time when the team also included Creighton University star Doug McDermott and Oklahoma State University star Marcus Smart.

Joining Flagg are players fresh off strong rookie seasons: Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller, who finished third in Rookie of the Year voting last season, will join the team along with Golden State Warriors forward Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis and Miami Heat forward Jamie Jaquez Jr., all of whom were standout rookies in the 2023-24 season.

Veterans Trey Murphy of the New Orleans Pelicans, Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons, Keegan Murray of the Sacramento Kings, Jalen Suggs of the Orlando Magic, Micah Potter of the Utah Jazz, Payton Pritchard of the champion Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets young forwards Ament Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. are also on the team.

The roster also includes players with overseas experience playing FIBA-style games, including former NBA players Langston Galloway and Nigel Hayes-Davis.

The team will be coached by Magic head coach Jamal Moseley.

“As a former member of the U.S. National Team, I know how important and fun this opportunity is for our players,” USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill said in a statement. “This National Team is packed with incredible talent who will be tasked with the important task of helping the 2024 U.S. Men’s National Team begin its Olympic journey. These players will play a role in our preparation as we cultivate a national team pipeline for the future.”