The Cooper Flagg mania at Duke is officially over! The Maine Event won’t be back next season –despite all the hype and hope. Instead, Flagg is headed to the NBA Draft after delivering one of the greatest freshman seasons ever. He led Duke in all five major statistical categories. Capped it off with a National Player of the Year award. And took the Blue Devils all the way to the Final Four. So close to the ultimate prize… yet just short.

But while fans were dreaming of a second season, frustration spilled over and some of it landed on Jon Scheyer.In a farewell video posted on Duke’s official handle, Scheyer praised Flagg, saying: “Really proud of Cooper for the special season that he had this year.”

And it was really special for sure. The 6’9” freshman put together a season to remember. He led the team in everything — points (709), rebounds (277), assists (156), steals (52), and blocks per game (1.4). What’s even crazier? He cracked the ACC’s top 10 in four major stats. Third in scoring. Ninth in rebounds. Eighth in assists. Sixth in blocks. And then there’s the weekly honors. Flagg made history there, too. He became the first player ever to win both ACC Player and Rookie of the Week— in the same week– five times. No one else had done it more than twice.

Jon Scheyer’s words were kind. But the fans? They were not feeling the same way. They weren’t thrilled with how Flagg’s year ended. And they didn’t hold back. Social media lit up with frustration — and a lot of it was aimed at Scheyer. Let’s take a look at what some of those fans had to say.

Fans rally against Jon Scheyer as Cooper Flagg decides to leave

Fans were visibly frustrated and they let their voice be heard on X.  “We can thank scheyer for one of the worst coaching jobs in a 2nd half i’ve ever seen for flagg not getting a ring” commented one fan. Another fan joined in saying, “Jon Scheyer ruined the chance for Coop to have the best freshman season of all time” 

In the Final Four clash against Houston, Duke looked like they had it in the bag. Up by 14 points, they seemed all set to punch their ticket to the title game. But college basketball can flip in a heartbeat. Houston clamped down. Duke made just one field goal in the final 10 minutes. They finished with only 67 points — their second-lowest total of the season. The Blue Devils had no answers for Houston’s defense. And just like that, Flagg’s shot at a Hollywood ending vanished. A lot of the heat fell on Jon Scheyer for how he drew up the plays in crunch time and denying Flagg a shot at basketball immortality. Precisely what a fan thought when they said ,“The coach needs to be fired.”

Cooper Flagg made college basketball history that night. He dropped in 27 points. Grabbed seven rebounds. Handed out four assists. Blocked three shots. And picked up two steals. With that, he became the first player ever — since defensive stats became official in 1986 — to lead his team in all five categories during a Final Four game. A sad end to a record-breaking game for him.

Not every fan was pointing fingers. Some just wanted to show love. One fan wrote, “Coop will always be special in my heart. One of those super rare Grant Hill type players that comes along every 20-30 years. Thank you for an amazing season and God bless you moving forward!”

Flagg certainly had a season to remember. In 37 games, the Maine native averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game. He led Duke to an ACC regular season championship. And heading into March Madness, they were the second-best team in the entire country. There’s a lot to love about what he did. And still, a lot to wonder about what could’ve been.

So what’s next for Duke? How do they fill the massive hole Flagg leaves behind? One fan said “Hope you have a plan, Jon. I trust that you do.” Well, Blue Devil fans really don’t need to panic.

They’re entering next season with the best recruiting class in the country. Leading the pack? A familiar name– Cameron Boozer. He once went toe-to-toe with Flagg for that number 1 high school ranking. And just like Flagg, Boozer is a 6’9” mismatch nightmare for the opposition defenders. He moves like a guard, but plays with the strength and presence of a big. Duke might have lost the Maine Event –But they’ve got another show-stopper coming in.