From Maine to Florida to North Carolina, Ace Flagg made a habit of winning throughout his high school career.
And now that the highly anticipated recruit is starting his freshman year at the University of Maine, the versatile Flagg is ready to play whatever role is needed to help the Black Bears win at the college level.
“That’s something I’ve always prided myself on, is just doing the dirty work, doing whatever it takes to get the win,” Flagg said Thursday before a summer practice as the UMaine team has started its preseason work.
Flagg is one of several new arrivals on the UMaine team led by coach Chris Markwood. The Black Bears are coming off their best playoff run in over two decades, falling one game short of an America East Conference championship last season.
The team will look differently after losing some of its top performers to graduation and the transfer portal, but a slate of freshmen and new transfers like Flagg will bring new size and excitement to a program already riding a wave of momentum.
“He’s an everyday guy. So everybody’s going to love him,” Markwood said Thursday. “He’s just a hardworking kid, tough as nails. And gonna do some great things here, I’m excited to see where things go.”
While Flagg started his high school career as a low-post player for the state championship Nokomis team alongside his twin brother and recent NBA first pick Cooper Flagg, the new arrival in Orono has developed more of an outside game while playing in Florida and North Carolina to close out high school.
“Wherever coach Markwood wants to put me, I’m just going to try and go out, give it my all, and be the best I can for the team,” Ace Flagg said.
Left: Ace Flagg and the Black Bears gather before a practice in the Pit in Memorial Gymnasium at the University of Maine on Thursday. Right: Flagg practices in the Pit. Credit: Linda Coan O’Kresik / BDN
Markwood said Flagg’s exact role, as with many of his teammates on a new-look Black Bears squad, is still to be determined. Markwood noted that it’s still “very early” for Flagg and the entire team in the first few weeks of summer practices, but noted that the freshman from Newport has been practicing hard and has been meshing well with his teammates.
“He’s off to a great start. Really excited about what he brings to the table for us. He’s shown that in the first couple of weeks here,” Markwood said. “The kid’s played against really high level basketball, so nothing’s really going to faze him. If you’re looking for a Maine kid that’s ready to step in and be able to help right away, he’s kind of got the pedigree.”
That pedigree as a winner is undeniable. Flagg won championships at all three stops in high school, adding a North Carolina championship at Greensboro Day School this past season. His coach at that private North Carolina school was effusive in his praise of Flagg as both a player and a teammate.
Greensboro Day coach Freddy Johnson, like Flagg, is no stranger to winning. The most recent state title was his 13th championship, and even with that well-established culture of winning, he said Flagg took that to a new level in Greensboro.
“He knows what you gotta do to win,” Johnson said Thursday. “He knows what you gotta sacrifice to win, and he knows how to fit in to win.”
Flagg’s ability and intensity on the defensive end of the floor helped Greensboro Day to lockdown opposing teams from the point guard to the center, Johnson said.
“I could play ace on the 6-10 guy or the 5-8 guy,” he said about Flagg’s defensive versatility.
Johnson also credited Flagg for his passing, footwork and offensive ability both down low and on the perimeter — along with his patience, sense of humor and ability to connect with all of his teammates.
“I just try and act like everyone is part of my family,” Flagg said.
“He was a really good leader on the team and his leadership was worth 10 points a game,” Johnson said. “He made sacrifices to become the kind of teammate he needed to be to lead us to the state championship.”
Now Flagg and his UMaine teammates will be working to continue the program’s positive momentum, with the Black Bears still in search of the men’s team’s first-ever America East championship.
“I think all the guys on the team are really locked in, and we know we can do something special this year,” Flagg said.
Ace Flagg practices in the Pit in Memorial Gymnasium at the University of Maine on Thursday. Credit: Linda Coan O’Kresik / BDN
UMaine also has special family ties for Flagg, with his mother, Kelly Flagg (then Bowman), a member of the only team in school history to win an NCAA tournament game. Ace Flagg said it means a lot to be able to suit up for the same school where his mom played.
“We were always coming here to watch the women’s team growing up,” Flagg said. “She would take us to games and stuff, so we grew to love the team and the school.”
After several years playing in Florida and North Carolina, Flagg is happy to be back in the Pine Tree State.
“I just couldn’t wait to get back. Maine is my home,” he said. “It’s where all my friends and stuff are. So I was just ready to get back here and spend time with the people that I missed.”
Markwood knows that Flagg’s high profile arrival is sure to bring increased attention — and expectations — for both the freshman player and the entire program.
“Coming here, coming back home, is going to put expectations on him,” Markwood said. “He knew that when he signed up, and I think he’s ready for that. I think he’s excited about that, I think he’s excited to be home, in his home state, and have a chance to wear those five letters across his chest.”
The UMaine coach said Flagg has handled that pressure well so far at this early stage in the process.
“If anybody’s built for it, it’s him,” Markwood said.