For Duke fans still replaying the heartbreak in San Antonio, here’s one more gut punch: Cooper Flagg isn’t coming back. The freshman phenom lit up the college basketball world this year, carrying Duke all the way to the Final Four and making good on the hype that followed him since high school. But with the NBA Draft looming, the conversation isn’t if he’ll go pro — it’s when he’ll make it official.

And if you ask ESPN’s Jay Bilas, there’s zero doubt. “He’s not coming back,” Bilas said bluntly. “He’s just the ultimate prize.” No drama. No cliffhanger. Bilas even pointed to a telltale off-court moment — Flagg collecting his golf clubs and heading to the range — as a sign he’s already started moving on.

The kid’s gone. That’s the harsh reality. Flagg didn’t exactly hold back after Duke’s season-ending loss to Houston in the Final Four. Sitting in front of reporters, he acknowledged the NBA dream he’s had for years — and strongly hinted that it’s finally within reach.

“It’s a dream of mine,” Flagg said during his postgame media session. “It’s something I’ve worked toward forever.”

He stopped short of announcing anything official. And technically, Flagg still has until April 26 to declare for the 2025 NBA Draft, and even a few more weeks after that — June 15 — to withdraw if he changes his mind. But nobody close to the situation is expecting a U-turn.

It’s hard to blame him. What more does he have left to prove? Flagg walked into Durham as the most talked-about freshman in the country and left as the likely No. 1 overall pick. He was the face of Duke basketball, the ACC’s most dominant player, and the reason the Blue Devils looked like title contenders from day one.

And he backed it all up. Throughout his freshman season with the Blue Devils, Flagg led the team in all three major statistical categories — putting up 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. He wasn’t just hyped — he delivered.

Even when he sprained his ankle during the ACC Tournament, Duke powered through without him. Once he returned for the NCAA Tournament, the Blue Devils looked like a team on a mission. They knocked off Alabama in the Elite Eight, then ran into a wall against Houston. But Flagg had done enough. His legacy was already sealed.

“This is what you dream of growing up,” Flagg said in San Antonio. “Big-time games, big-time moments. I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else.” Cooper Flagg didn’t end up at Duke by accident. In fact, his decision to reclassify in the summer of 2023 only accelerated the inevitable — a one-and-done season under head coach Jon Scheyer.

Back then, Flagg was the hottest recruit in the country, torching opponents on the Nike EYBL circuit and drawing every big-time offer imaginable. He visited Connecticut, fresh off a national title under Dan Hurley. But it was his official visit to Duke in October that sealed the deal.

There, during breakfast with Scheyer, general manager Rachel Baker, and his parents Ralph and Kelly, Flagg said yes to Duke — without actually saying it.

“There was a moment during the visit,” Ralph Flagg remembered, “when he looked at us and winked. And we knew at that moment it was a done deal.” For the Flagg family, Duke’s Final Four run felt like the perfect send-off. Ralph and Kelly were in San Antonio last weekend, watching their son suit up one last time in a Blue Devils uniform. The journey had come full circle.

“I had all the confidence in the world that Cooper could do this,” Kelly said. “With the right team and the right coach. And we’re just very fortunate that that’s the situation.”

Flagg didn’t just meet expectations — he went beyond them. He became the national player of the year. He helped Duke win the ACC. He turned a college dream into a springboard for NBA superstardom.

And he did it with a calm, collected poise beyond his years. There’s been some buzz — especially after an old February quote — that maybe Flagg would run it back. “I want to come back next year,” he said then. “I still feel like a kid… feel pretty normal.”

But that wasn’t doubt. That was a teenager soaking in the moment, not second-guessing his future.

The decision was always going to be about timing. And for Flagg, the time is now.

So no, he hasn’t made it official just yet. But everything points in one direction — and it’s not back to Durham. The golf clubs, the body language, the way he speaks about what’s next — it’s all telling the same story.

Cooper Flagg’s college chapter is over. The NBA is calling. And Duke fans? They’re just left hoping this one magical season was enough.

More Than Cooper Flagg: Walter Clayton Jr. Is Rising

Sure, Cooper Flagg’s got the spotlight. He’s the name every NBA team is watching, the guy tanking teams are dreaming about. But if you think this draft begins and ends with him, you haven’t been paying attention. Jay Bilas certainly has. And when he looks at the 2025 class, he sees something bigger.

“I don’t know exactly where this draft ranks,” Bilas said on The Rich Eisen Show, “but it smells a little bit like the draft we had in 2003.” That’s LeBron, Wade, Melo, and Bosh territory. Bilas doesn’t toss that kind of comparison around lightly. So while Flagg might be this draft’s LeBron-level prize, Bilas sees a lot more substance beyond the headline name.

He mentioned the usual top-tier talents — Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, VJ Edgecombe — but then shifted gears.

“Walter Clayton Jr.… I think he’s a first-round draft pick,” Bilas said. A few weeks ago, that might’ve raised some eyebrows. But after Clayton powered Florida to a national title, the conversation has completely changed.

In the span of less than three weeks, Clayton has gone from a promising second-rounder to a name floating in serious lottery chatter. That’s how good — no, that’s how great — he was for the Gators during their championship run.

Clayton averaged 22.3 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.0 steals per game over six NCAA Tournament wins. He shot a blazing 43.5% from deep and 89.7% from the free throw line. He played with total confidence, scoring a career-high 34 points in the Final Four win over Auburn, 30 against Texas Tech (22 in the second half), and added 11 clutch points after halftime in the title game against Houston — every one of those games featuring a second-half comeback.

In fact, Clayton dropped 53 points just in the second halves of the Elite Eight, Final Four, and title game. Florida trailed in the second half of all three — and won all three, with Clayton at the center of each comeback.

“He could have gone in the tank… but he didn’t,” Bilas said of Clayton’s rough first half in the championship game. “He was neat.”

That’s Jay Bilas speak for: He stayed composed. He figured it out. And he delivered.

Clayton doesn’t always put up loud, box score-stuffing stat lines. But he shows up when it matters most. His ability to hit contested shots, slip through double teams, and finish around the rim with creativity and calm — that’s the kind of stuff that catches NBA eyes.

“You don’t see guys like him very often,” Bilas said. “His ability to make challenge shots and be a creative finisher around the basket… he’s special.”

The part of Clayton’s game that’s made the biggest leap? Defense. “I wouldn’t have called him a defender last year,” Bilas admitted. “But this year, he guards.”

That’s what’s so intriguing. Clayton’s always been a scorer. But now he’s a two-way player. The kind who can defend, distribute, and still take over when his team needs him most. That’s the profile of a first-round pick — maybe even a lottery pick — especially when the production matches the moment.

He finished the season averaging 17.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 46.4% from the field, 37.8% from three, and nearly 91% from the line — top-tier efficiency across the board.

Bilas also pointed out other NBA-caliber guys who flew under the radar this year — Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh, Elijah Martin, and Will Richard. “Those guys are good guards,” Bilas said. “But Clayton? He’s special.”

Special enough that Bilas named him the top pro prospect from the court on championship night — ahead of everyone else.

So while Cooper Flagg might be the crown jewel of the 2025 class, don’t sleep on the rest. There’s real depth in this draft. And Walter Clayton Jr. might be the guy everyone looks back on and wonders how he ever slipped past the lottery.

Because based on what he just did in March — he might not.