Tracking college basketball freshman debuts: How Cooper Flagg and other five-star recruits did in first game

Some of the biggest stars in the 2024 recruiting class make their respective college debuts on the opening night of the 2024-25 college basketball season Monday. Among them was Duke forward Cooper Flagg — the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Flagg was part of Duke’s top-ranked high school recruiting class that featured four five-star recruits. The Blue Devils started three of them — Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach — in their first game against Maine. Isaiah Evans, the No. 13 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class by 247Sports, came off the bench.

Rutgers star duo of Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, the No. 2 and 3 ranked players in the class, make their college debuts on Wednesday against Wagner. UConn five-star forward Liam McNeeley will play on the same day against Sacred Heart.

Here is how every five-star prospect from the 2024 recruiting class by 247Sports and a few other notables ranked outside the top 20 fared in their college debuts this week.

Cooper Flagg | F/G | Duke

247Sports ranking: 1

Flagg made his long-awaited debut and recorded 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in 30 minutes of action as No. 7 Duke defeated Maine 96-62. The highlight of Flagg’s first game came in the final minutes of the first half, when he drove through the middle of the lane and threw down a powerful one-handed dunk.

Ace Bailey | F/G | Rutgers

247Sports ranking: 2

Bailey will make his college debut on Wednesday against Wagner.

Dylan Harper | G | Rutgers

247Sports ranking: 3

Harper will make his college debut on Wednesday against Wagner.

Khaman Maluach | C | Duke

247Sports ranking: 4

Maluach started at center for Duke and played 18 minutes. He recorded six points on 3-of-3 shooting and added six rebounds and three blocks. There was discussion about what Duke’s starting lineup might look like in the weeks leading up to the season. It appears Maluach will be the starting center going forward.

247Sports ranking: 5

Edgecombe struggled in his college debut vs. No. 6 Gonzaga. The Baylor star freshman missed his first four shots before finally knocking one down in the final moments before halftime. The Bulldogs did a good job of putting on-ball pressure on Edgecombe. He finished with four points, six rebounds and two blocks in No. 8 Baylor’s blowout 101-63 loss to Gonzaga. The performance was largely forgettable, but this poster dunk late in the loss will be remembered for a long time, especially by Gonzaga’s Joe Few.

247Sports ranking: 6

Johnson had a record-breaking performance in the No. 19 Longhorns’ 80-72 loss to Ohio State. Johnson broke Kevin Durant’s program record for most points in a freshman debut. Durant had 20 points in his first college game against Alcorn State in 2006, and Johnson did even better, scoring 29 against the Buckeyes. Johnson shot 10 of 20 from the floor and added five rebounds and four assists.

247Sports ranking: 7

Bethea came off the bench for Miami and logged 13 minutes in the 113-72 win over Fairleigh Dickinson. Bethea scored nine points on 4-of-9 shooting and grabbed two rebounds in the blowout victory. His minutes should continue to increase as the season progresses.

247Sports ranking: 8

Jackson played 12 minutes off the bench. He scored five points on 2 of 7 shooting and grabbed a rebound in No. 9 UNC’s 90-76 win over Elon.

247Sports ranking: 9

Quaintance will make his college debut on Tuesday against Idaho State.

Liam McNeeley | G/F | UConn

247Sports ranking: 10

McNeeley will make his college debut on Wednesday against Sacred Heart.

247Sports ranking: 11

Powell came off the bench for UNC and logged 16 minutes. He shot 2 of 8 from the field and recorded five points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal in the win over Elon.

247Sports ranking: 12

Queen had one of the best performances of any player — regardless of position or age — in Maryland’s 79-49 win over Manhattan. Queen scored 22 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in 27 minutes to become the first player in program history with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game since Joe Smith in 1995.

Isaiah Evans | F | Duke

247Sports ranking: 13

Evans played seven minutes off the bench. He grabbed two rebounds and also dished out an assist and missed his only shot attempt of the night in the blowout win over Maine.

247Sports ranking: 14

Bidunga came off the bench for No. 1 Kansas and scored 13 points in 17 minutes of play. Bidunga knocked down all six field goal attempts and added eight rebounds, two steals, and two blocks in the 87-57 win over Howard. Bidunga played the second-most minutes of any bench player behind newcomer Zeke Mayo.

247Sports ranking: 15

Freeman recorded a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) and added an assist in Syracuse’s 86-82 win over Le Moyne. The Orange survived the potential upset by hitting clutch free throws in the final moments.

247Sports ranking: 16

Demin will make his college debut on Tuesday against Central Arkansas.

247Sports ranking: 17

Reid logged 22 minutes and recorded nine points and six rebounds in the No. 2 Crimson Tide’s 110-54 win over UNC Asheville. He was one of two first-year players in the starting lineup for Nate Oats.

Kon Knueppel | G/F | Duke

247Sports ranking: 18

Knueppel came into the season with an enormous amount of hype despite being the fourth-ranked player in Duke’s recruiting class. Knueppel showed why the hype was warranted. Knueppel scored a game-high 22 points and also added four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Knueppel has “NBA Draft lottery pick” written all over him.

247Sports ranking: 19

One of the highest-ranked recruits in Georgia program history delivered a terrific performance in the 83-78 win over Tennessee Tech. Newell recorded a double-double (26 points, 11 rebounds) and added three blocks. Newell took the most shots on his team (22) by a wide margin. Georgia will go as far as Newell takes them.

247Sports ranking: 20

Riley’s calling card on the AAU circuit was his incredible shotmaking. That attribute appears to have transferred over to the next level, as he knocked down 10 of 13 attempts in a 112-67 win over Eastern Illinois. Riley finished with 31 points, seven rebounds and three assists and had one of the best scoring performances of opening night.

Other notable debuts

Labaron Philon | G | Alabama

247Sports ranking: 34

With USF transfer Chris Youngblood out due to an injury, Philon got the start in his place. He scored 10 points and added nine assists, three steals and two blocks in the win over UNC Asheville.

John Mobley Jr. | G | Ohio State

247Sports ranking: 48

Mobley came off the bench and scored 14 points in the 80-72 upset win over No. 19 Texas. Mobley knocked down all four of his 3-point attempts and provided the exact spark the Buckeyes needed to open the season with a signature win.

Robert Hinton | G | Harvard

247Sports ranking: 109

Hinton had a standout performance in Harvard’s 79-66 win over Marist. He scored a game-high 27 points on an efficient 9-of-12 shooting and added four rebounds and a steal. The Los Angeles native could be due for a productive season similar to what Malik Mack did in his lone season with the program before transferring to Georgetown.