This was always going to be the case — no matter what indications to the contrary there were.

Cooper Flagg announced Monday morning that he is entering the NBA draft after spending one season at Duke.

What a season it was, replete with accolades and awards — and yet incomplete in one way that will be hard to forget, with Duke’s 70-67 loss to Houston in the Final Four. That was a game that saw Flagg whistled for an over-the-back foul that provided the Cougars with the game-tying and go-ahead points, and then saw Flagg miss a jumper in the closing seconds that would’ve given Duke the lead.

“It was an incredible season. Incredible people, incredible relationships that I'm going to have for the rest of my life,” Flagg said through tears after the season ended in San Antonio. “Didn't end the way we wanted it to, but still an incredible year.”

The 6-9, 205-pounder is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick, which would make him the sixth No. 1 overall pick from Duke — and third in the last seven drafts, joining Zion Williamson (2019) and Paolo Banchero (2022).

A native of Newport, Maine, Flagg collected national player of the year awards from six publications — USBWA, NABC, AP, Wooden, Naismith, CollegeInsider.com. He was a consensus first-team All-America pick, was the ACC player of the year and rookie of the year, and his 12 ACC player of the week awards are the most in league history.

Flagg’s averages led Duke in all five major categories — 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. He’s the first player in program history to lead the Blue Devils in each one.

Flagg reclassified to arrive in college a year early and is eligible for this year’s draft because his birthday is December 21, 2006. If his birthday was in 2007, he wouldn’t be eligible for this year’s draft.

He was the No. 1 player in Rivals’ Class of 2024 rankings, despite reclassing up. His reclassification was announced in August of 2023, and he announced his commitment to Duke in late October of that year.

Flagg is the third player from Duke to declare for the draft and won’t be the last. Fellow freshmen Kon Knueppel was the first to declare, and junior guard Tyrese Proctor also announced his entry last week. Freshman center Khaman Maluach is also expected to be lottery pick but has not announced yet.

The early entry deadline for the NBA is midnight of April 26. The NBA Draft Combine will be May 11-18 in Chicago, with the lottery to be held May 12.

Ten days after the conclusion of the combine, May 28, is the deadline for college players to withdraw their names from the draft and maintain their college eligibility.

The NBA draft is two rounds — the first is June 25, and the second is June 26. One small note: There are 59 picks this season because the New York Knicks forfeited their second-round pick.