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 Dylan Harper, the No. 3 ranked player in the class, scored 20 points in his college debut in a 75-52 win over Wagner. Harper's freshman teammate, Ace Bailey, missed the matchup due to an injury. UConn five-star forward Liam McNeeley scored 18 points in the 92-56 win over 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.
COOOOOOP 👀👀 (ACCN) pic.twitter.com/K9gkbl04Xu
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) November 5, 2024
Ace Bailey | F/G | Rutgers
247Sports ranking: 2
Bailey missed Rutgers' season-opener against Wagner. It's TBD when he will make his debut.
Dylan Harper | G | Rutgers
247Sports ranking: 3
Harper did a little bit of everything in the win over Wagner. The standout guard finished with 20 points (on an efficient 9 of 14 shooting) and added four assists, three rebounds and three steals. Harper is a combo guard capable of being the lead ballhandler for a Rutgers squad with aspirations of getting back to the NCAA Tournament.
True freshman Dylan Harper in his debut tonight:
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) November 7, 2024
▪️ 20 PTS
▪️ 9-14 FG
▪️ 4 AST
▪️ 3 STL@dy1anharper pic.twitter.com/OYm7lcZauv
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.
VJ Edgecombe | G | Baylor
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.
THIS POSTER, OH MY‼️
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 5, 2024
HE ALMOST JUMPED OVER HIM 😳 pic.twitter.com/bfdAazCw8g
Tre Johnson | G/F | Texas
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.
get used to it Longhorn Nation 😏🤘#HookEm | @Iamtrejohnson1 pic.twitter.com/RH22i6pcrL
— Texas Men’s Basketball (@TexasMBB) November 5, 2024
Jalil Bethea | G | Miami
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.
Ian Jackson | G/F | North Carolina
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.
Jayden Quaintance | C | Arizona State
247Sports ranking: 9
Quaintance started in Arizona State's opener against Idaho State but only logged 19 minutes. Quaintance finished 0 of 6 from the floor with only two points but recorded a team-high six blocks and two steals in the 55-48 win over Idaho State.
Liam McNeeley | G/F | UConn
247Sports ranking: 10
McNeeley had a complete performance in the win over Sacred Heart. He finished with 18 points and added 10 rebounds, two assists and a steal. McNeeley is one of the best 3-point shooters in this class. He connected on 3 of 6 attempts from distance.
Drake Powell | G/F | UNC
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.
Derik Queen | C | Maryland
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.
The euro, the harm, the finish
— Maryland Men’s Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) November 5, 2024
📺: Subscribe/stream on B1G+ https://t.co/j0ibbyiqeb pic.twitter.com/DhTSJISiCc
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.
Flory Bidunga | C | Kansas
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.
Donnie Freeman | F | Syracuse
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.
First collegiate points for Donnie Freeman 🎯
— Syracuse Men’s Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) November 5, 2024
📺 ACCNX pic.twitter.com/utZzXuIVUV
Egor Demin | G/F | BYU
247Sports ranking: 16
Demin showed flashes of why he could be a lottery pick this summer against Central Arkansas. Demin finished with a team-high 18 points and added 11 assists, four rebounds and four steals in the 88-50 win on Tuesday. Demin should play more of an on-ball role for first-year coach Kevin Young.
6'8 PG Egor Demin in his NCAA debut:
— Teg🚨 (@IQfor3) November 6, 2024
18 points
11 assists
4 steals
7-13 FG
4-7 3P pic.twitter.com/Cf1FcLTAxx
Derrion Reid | F | Alabama
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.
kon knueppel 4 point play pic.twitter.com/2TuRORxdem
— ◇ (@HOODH3RO) November 5, 2024
Asa Newell | F | Georgia
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.
Asa Newell cleans up & gets some 2nd chance PTS for UGA 🙌
— GREENLIGHT MEDIA (@atlgreenlight) November 5, 2024
Dawgs up 7-6 with 16:24 left in the first half 🐶🔴⚫️ pic.twitter.com/NvnfhrqjhO
Will Riley | G | Illinois
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.
Harvard Freshman Robert Hinton today in the win against Marist.
— KJ (@KJ__Hoops) November 5, 2024
27 Points
4 Rebounds
1 Assist
9/12 FG
Hinton put together a very high level performance for a freshman and showcased his shot making and foul drawing ability in a big way. pic.twitter.com/r3J7IdSirl