“Cooper Flagg award is now yours boy!!”: Hoops fans hyped as Duke freshman Isaiah Evans earns ACC honor
Duke's Isaiah Evans played some of his best college basketball in the recent games, winning his first ACC Freshman of the Week honor. The guard posted 16 points against the Hurricanes and a career-high 19 points against the Florida State Seminoles, shooting over 40% from the field and over 42% from the 3-point line.
Evans now becomes the third Blue Devil recruit to win the conference recognition. Sharpshooter Kon Knueppel won the first honor of the season, averaging 18.5 points on over 55% field goal efficiency and 50% 3-point shooting. Meanwhile Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 recruit in the 2024 class, has clinched the award 11 times.
Duke's Instagram handle congratulated Evans through a post on Monday.
"Duke freshmen are different. S/O Slim," the post read.
College hoops fans reacted to the freshman's achievement in the comments section:
"The Cooper Flagg award is now yours my boy!!!" one fan wrote.
"EVANS IS SOOO HIM," another fan added.
"We love watching you play Slim!" one fan commented.
Here are some more reactions from fans online:
"God is good. His timing is everything. Proud of you Slim @showtime.slim," one fan said.
"Hope he stays around next season, reminds me a lot of Brandon Ingram," another fan wrote.
"LETS GO !!! only person who can stop coooper from getting it! Is his own Teammates. I love it!," a fan wrote.
Jon Scheyer comments on Isaiah Evans' growth after career night
Isaiah Evans' first start of his career came against the Seminoles as Tyrese Proctor dealt with a knee injury. The freshman needed some time to adjust to his new role but later churned out a career night.
Coach Jon Scheyer reflected on the guard's journey in the postgame conference and highlighted the qualities that made him a perfect fit for his system.
"Amazing self-belief and confidence while also being incredibly coachable, he's grown so much this year – the scoring and shooting he's always had that – but to do it efficiently at this level, to defend, to understand rotations," Scheyer said.
"He's been in the gym at 6:00 in the morning, late at night. He grinds and he's obsessed ... which is why he's gone so much better throughout the whole season. I'm just really proud of him, he's established himself as a key guy ... I'm lucky to coach him," he added.
(from 8:00 mark onwards)
Isaiah Evans averaged 9.4 ppg across his first five games and had irregular shooting stretches through the end of February. However, the guard has notched four double-digit scoring games in the last five contests, averaging 15.4 points on 48% 3-point shooting.