Flagg vs. Dybantsa matches hype

SPRINGFIELD — Fans couldn’t leave their seats when Cooper Flagg and AJ Dybantsa faced off Sunday night in Springfield.

For one, if they got up, someone in the mass of standing-room-only spectators would take their place. But moreover, the marquee game of the Hoophall Classic — and probably the best matchup of New England-raised prospects in decades — lived up to the hype at Springfield College’s Blake Arena.

For most of the contest, Montverde Academy (Fla.), led by Maine native Cooper Flagg, held a slim edge against Prolific Prep (Calif.) before Brockton’s AJ Dybantsa led a late rally that had his team up 69-67 before Montverde returned fire and earned a 76-71 victory.

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens was among the attendees for a display between two of the top prospects in the country.

“I’m a big basketball junkie, and I believe in the romance of the game, so to speak,” said Prolific Prep coach Ryan Bernardi, a Milton native. “Even though the result didn’t go our way, I can appreciate what that game was.”

Flagg and Dybantsa played every minute. Flagg, the No. 1-ranked senior and a Duke commit, finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks, and had control of the contest early. The 6-foot-9-inch forward guarded Dybantsa and showed increased aggression seeking his own shot. The crowd roared and tapped their heads when Flagg strong-armed Zoom Diallo to throw down a transition dunk in the first quarter.

“I think something that coaches have been harping on me a little bit is I’m a little too unselfish,” Flagg said. “So I’m just trying to turn that on, and just be a little more assertive and aggressive at times.”

Dybantsa struggled early, but after his first floater fell over Flagg, the 6-8 wing settled in. He wound up with 21 points and torched Montverde in the second half. The audience similarly erupted when he drilled a 3-pointer, plus drew a foul, in the corner, and masked his face with three fingers as Prolific Prep mounted a comeback.

Ultimately, a game-sealing steal by Flagg kept Montverde on top.

Flagg and Dybantsa play on two of the best teams in the country; both starting lineups are composed entirely of nationally-ranked prospects. Liam McNeeley, a five-star, Indianabound senior, led Montverde with 22 points. Prolific Prep was aided by Tyran Stokes, the topranked sophomore in the nation, who posted 12 points.

Dybantsa and Flagg are friends off the court, but in this high-stakes matchup, there was no letting up.

“We don’t take the matchup too personally, but when you’re playing your friend, you’re playing your friend,” Dybantsa said. “You’re going to go at it.”

Montverde is 19-0 following three wins in three days at Hoophall. Bernardi says he’ll first have to move past this defeat, but he knows he was a part of a historic game.

“The way I’ll remember this one is: I hope there’s another one,” he said. “I hope there’s another one to come, because that’s as good as it gets.”