Latest / Bleacher Report / Cooper Flagg & Kon Knueppel Talk Loss vs. Houston in the Final Four | 2025 March Madness

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Cooper Flagg & Kon Knueppel Talk Loss vs. Houston in the Final Four | 2025 March Madness · Bleacher Report

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: We're joined by head coach John Shire of Duke with
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: student athletes Cooper Flagg and Kahn Canipple. We'll ask coach
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Shyer to begin with a statement, then we'll take questions
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: for the Duke student athletes.
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: Coach.
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  Speaker 3: So, for me, the very first thing I want to
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  Speaker 3: say is how proud I am to coach these two
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  Speaker 3: guys next to me in our entire team. I mean,
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  Speaker 3: it's been a special ride that ended in a heartbreaking way.
• 0:31
  Speaker 3: And frankly, the game, we did what we wanted to do.
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  Speaker 3: You know, I thought our guys did followed the game plan,
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  Speaker 3: controlled the game. We had the lead for thirty five minutes,
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  Speaker 3: we're winning by six with a minute fifteen to go,
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  Speaker 3: and they made plays and you got to give them
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  Speaker 3: a ton of credit. We didn't make those plays. And
• 0:51
  Speaker 3: you go from some of the most special moments in
• 0:54
  Speaker 3: the tournament to the most heartbreaking loss. And I'm not
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  Speaker 3: about to feel sorry for one second. These guys have
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: done an incredible job. It's heartbreaking, it's incredibly disappointing. There's
• 1:09
  Speaker 3: a lot of pain that comes with us. That's what
• 1:12
  Speaker 3: the tournament is all about. You know, you're an inch
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  Speaker 3: away from the National Championship Game. But I cannot be
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: more proud of these two guys next to me. We've
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: done this thing differently, and what they've done in eighteen
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  Speaker 3: and nineteen years old, I couldn't fathom doing just incredible
• 1:31
  Speaker 3: saw that you got. Are they gonna get questions?
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  Speaker 2: First?
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  Speaker 3: Yes, say all right, but I do want to say
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  Speaker 3: Houston's a championship caliber team. We had a ton of
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  Speaker 3: respect for them. Obviously, we still do. Just really disappointed
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  Speaker 3: we can make one more play down the stretch, but
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  Speaker 3: congratulations to them.
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  Speaker 1: With that, We're looking for questions for Cohn and for Cooper.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: If you have a question, please raise your hand. Let's
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: go back a little bit. Two rose just to the right.
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  Speaker 2: I R.
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  Speaker 4: David Castinello with Fox Rio Grand Valley. Cooper, I want
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  Speaker 4: to start with you. You had a great season, obviously
• 2:10
  Speaker 4: didn't end how you wanted it to end, but kind
• 2:13
  Speaker 4: of take a second to give me a little bit
• 2:14
  Speaker 4: of an overview on the season, not just with the
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  Speaker 4: relationship with your coach, with teammates as well.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it was an incredible season, incredible people,
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  Speaker 2: incredible relationships that I'm gonna have for the rest of
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  Speaker 2: my life. Didn't and the way we wanted to but
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  Speaker 2: still an incredible year.
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: Questions for K two and for Cooper third row, kid
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: do it all?
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  Speaker 2: Character? B Cooper, can you just talk about not obviously
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: the very last possession, but the possession before that.
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  Speaker 4: You get the ball, you go into the post.
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  Speaker 2: Is that the shot you were looking for? Is that
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  Speaker 2: the look you wanted in that spot? Yeah, I mean
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  Speaker 2: it's the play coached. You up took it into the paint.
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: H I thought I got my feet set, rose up,
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: left it short obviously, but I mean, so shot I'm
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: willing to live with in the in the scenario pulling
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  Speaker 2: up on the rim, trust the work that I put in.
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: Continuing with questions for the Duke student athletes two in
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  Speaker 1: the second row.
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  Speaker 5: Hey, Cooper, obviously, you guys had a six point lead
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  Speaker 5: forty seven seconds to go, and you guys are been
• 3:26
  Speaker 5: closing out all season long. If there's anything that you
• 3:29
  Speaker 5: could look back at now, I mean, I know it's fresh,
• 3:31
  Speaker 5: but that you think wish we could have done this different?
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: Just communication. I mean, I think me and Seon messed
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: up a switch. You got to get the bottom bounce,
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: you know, Fine, whatever we had to do, just find
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: a way to get the bottom bounce. But yeah, I
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: mean just I think that was a big messed up
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  Speaker 2: communication play between me and Seon that led to a
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  Speaker 2: big three.
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: Same area name media outlet and your.
• 3:54
  Speaker 6: Question audios with CBS Sports con Can you talk about
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  Speaker 6: how what was your thought as it was clear that
• 4:02
  Speaker 6: Cooper was trying to, you know, do more and more
• 4:05
  Speaker 6: and you guys obviously trying to support him. Is that
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  Speaker 6: was that something that really was going through your mind
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  Speaker 6: of like, we need to make sure that this is
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  Speaker 6: a team effort and and and how much do you
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  Speaker 6: think about that as you play with a guy like that.
• 4:18
  Speaker 7: I mean, yeah, it's always a team effort. You know,
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  Speaker 7: Coop had the hot hand, so obviously he just won
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  Speaker 7: Player of the Year, so we got to give him
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  Speaker 7: the ball. You know, he's he's a great, great player,
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  Speaker 7: and he made a bunch of great plays tonight. It
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  Speaker 7: was awesome. Yeah, I thought, I thought he put a
• 4:35
  Speaker 7: phenomenal game, and I thought I thought we could have
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  Speaker 7: done a couple couple of things to help him too.
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: We'll go up front and to the right.
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  Speaker 8: Right Friedlander Saturday down south to either player or both players.
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  Speaker 8: You guys scored up leave nine points in the last
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  Speaker 8: ten and a half minutes. Was that more attributed to
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  Speaker 8: Houston's defense or was that more attributed to the execution
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  Speaker 8: that you guys.
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  Speaker 1: Were last K two first and then Cooper, I think
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: both equally.
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  Speaker 7: You know, they're a really good defensive team. I don't
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  Speaker 7: think we were sharp the last what it was if
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  Speaker 7: you said ten and a half minutes, I think I
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  Speaker 7: don't think we were sharp in our execution as we
• 5:08
  Speaker 7: have been for the first ten minutes of the second half.
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  Speaker 7: Obviously we got to tip tip our hat to them too.
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  Speaker 7: Is they're they're really good defensive team.
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  Speaker 2: Cooper, Yeah, I mean I think Conn said it pretty well.
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  Speaker 2: I think give them a lot of credit for what
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  Speaker 2: they're able to do every single night that they play.
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  Speaker 2: And I, like you said, I think we could have
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  Speaker 2: been a little more sharp down the stretch and executing
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  Speaker 2: some things. But end of the day, you gotta give
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  Speaker 2: them a lot of credit as well.
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  Speaker 1: Up running on the right just to stop the aisle.
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  Speaker 9: Hi Josh from a und dis question for both Cooper
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  Speaker 9: and Conn. Despite the way tonight unfolded, you guys had
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  Speaker 9: still a pretty good year. You all were acc champions.
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  Speaker 9: How would you want yourselves and this team to be
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  Speaker 9: remembered in the future.
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  Speaker 7: Con first, then Cooper, Yeah, I thought I thought we
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  Speaker 7: had phenomenal year. It was a joy to be a
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  Speaker 7: part of. I mean, I just hope that the fans
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  Speaker 7: and everybody appreciates how we gave it are all every
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  Speaker 7: night and and and showed it. How I appreciate how
• 6:14
  Speaker 7: we played together.
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I would say very similarly, just the connectivity of
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: this team. I mean, I know I can speak for myself,
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  Speaker 2: and I think the rest of the guys that the
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  Speaker 2: connections and relationships we were able to have all year long,
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  Speaker 2: it was phenomenal, Like I wouldn't have wanted it to
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  Speaker 2: be with anybody else. So I hope that I was
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: able to shine through on the court and people that
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: can remember us and I appreciate the way we're able
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  Speaker 2: to play and the effort we gave for one another.
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: We want to thank Con and Cooper for joining us
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: here in the main interview room and taking our questions.
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: They're gonna head back to the Duke locker room, which
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: is open for just a few more moments.