Maine and north Texas have never had much in common, but now they do. Cooper Flagg. The Newport native was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the first pick in the NBA draft last month.

As we waited for the Mavericks to make it official, the Press Herald connected with the Dallas Morning News to collaborate on a Cooper Flagg project.

Let’s have a conversation.

Our reporters who’ve covered Flagg since before he played his first game at Nokomis High could tell Dallas Mavericks fans what they can expect. Reporters in Dallas could explain to Flagg’s fans in Maine what he’s in for as an NBA rookie.

Myself and Drew Bonifant, whose coverage of Flagg’s career right from the start has no peer, took part in a roundtable discussion with Morning News reporters Brad Townsend and Mike Curtis, who cover the Mavericks and are experts on the team and its history.

Brad moderated our discussion, which covered a lot of ground and was a lot of fun.

Mike and I each covered the NBA draft, from different angles. Mike was there to focus on how Flagg can immediately contribute to the Mavericks’ success. Remember, this is a team that just a year ago faced the Boston Celtics in the NBA finals. Unlike most No. 1 picks, Flagg is going to a team that can let him adjust to the rigors of the NBA and doesn’t need him to be a superstar on Day 1. Flagg will be a very good player from the jump and will grow into the franchise cornerstone Dallas expects him to be.

I, along with photographer Derek Davis, was at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn to chronicle the reaction of Flagg’s fans from Maine and beyond. It really was a once-in-a-lifetime assignment. We saw Maine’s passion for Flagg doesn’t stop at the New Hampshire border when so many fans made the trip to see Duke play at Boston College this past winter. They were out in force in Brooklyn, too.

Watch the video, and hear Drew’s first impressions of Flagg, what it was like in the summer 2021 before Flagg and his twin brother Ace entered Nokomis, and the buzz was already growing.

Watch the video, and hear Mike’s first impressions of Flagg from watching him play a pair of games in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Watch the video, and hear how Brad feels Flagg will fit into the Mavericks’ history, and if he can rise to the level of former greats Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic, who Flagg essentially replaces in the Mavericks lineup.

We enjoyed this discussion on the athlete who has already placed himself among Maine’s best in such a short time. It was a rare opportunity to share knowledge of Flagg’s past with the people who will have the front row seat to his immediate NBA future. We hope you enjoy watching it.