As the days inched closer to realizing his dream earlier this month, Cooper Flagg was back home in Maine. His final pre-draft workouts took place where it all started.
Flagg and his trainer Matt MacKenzie, who he’s been working with since he was in sixth grade, split their time between his gym at Eastern Maine Sports Academy in Veazie, Maine, and at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. MacKenzie had a team of young coaches join them, and they went through different game situations. They were outfitted with padded sticks and blocking pads to simulate NBA physicality.
But one of the coolest parts of their time spent working out at home came when MacKenzie invited two high school basketball players from Maine to join them. He brought in Oli Higgins, a 6-foot-9 wing from Brewer High School, and Lincoln Malcore, a 6-foot-9 forward from Kents Hill, two of the state’s rising stars who had just finished their freshman seasons. Their length and size helped make the workout feel more realistic, but more importantly, they got a first-hand look at the way Flagg trains, and how physical and intense he takes every rep.
“I think that was very valuable for those young players to not only see that, but feel that,” MacKenzie said.
