Cooper and Ace Flagg host youth basketball camp in Orono

ORONO, Maine — Kids from across Maine are getting the chance to learn from two of the state’s biggest basketball stars this weekend.

Cooper and Ace Flagg are back home, taking time away from gearing up for their NBA and college debuts to run a youth basketball camp in Orono.

The brothers are working with hundreds of young players, showing them skills and offering advice — all while making sure to connect with each camper.

“I feel like that’s the whole reason we’re here — just to have the visibility and give them this experience and give back to the community,” Cooper said.

“I remember when we were their age. We had players that we looked up to, so to be able to be that example for them is really nice,” Ace added.

The two-day camp, hosted by the Flagg family and ProCamps at the University of Maine, gives kids the chance to meet their hometown heroes face-to-face and work on the same basketball fundamentals that helped the brothers rise to national attention.

“We were learning about how to pass better and how to shoot better,” aspiring hooper Nash Gagnon said during a water break.

“I really like Cooper Flagg, and I never thought I’d get to meet him in real life until today,” Kennedy Davis, said.

Davis and her dad drove all the way from Cape Elizabeth to attend the camp.

“I learned how to get better at dribbling between my legs,” Davis explained.

The opportunity for the brothers to give back to their home state is something parents Ralph and Kelly Flagg said their family doesn’t take for granted.

“They’re getting to enjoy the excitement of the kids and how the kids are just excited to simply see them and interact with them,” Kelly said.

For Cooper and Ace, coming home to Maine before getting back to summer training for the Dallas Mavericks and UMaine Black Bears is a reminder of where it all started.

“Maine’s a very special place. The community’s very tight-knit,” Ace said. “There’s not many places like it where you can move across the country but still have that support.”

“Being back in your place where you grew up, you just get grounded,” Cooper added. “It’s really refreshing just being home, being in this environment.”

The brothers are inspiring young athletes across the Pine Tree State — some of whom are already setting big goals.

“My goal, as I keep getting older, is to try and make it to the NBA,” Davis said.