Cooper Flagg's Mom Kelly Is Quietly the Donna Kelce of NCAA Basketball for Her Twin Sons (Exclusive)
Courtesy of Kelly Flag
Cooper Flagg's mom, KellyKelly Flagg is taking over where Donna Kelce left off.
Before Jason Kelce retired from the NFL, Donna, 72, became known for her dedication to supporting the former Eagles star when he and his brother, Travis, played for different teams — sometimes attending games in multiple cities on the same day in her iconic split jersey.
Now, Kelly — mom to Duke basketball star Cooper Flagg and his twin brother, Ace, who plays for her alma mater, the University of Maine — is pulling off double duty to support her sons' hoop dreams.
Promoting her partnership with Dr. Scholl's, Kelly tells PEOPLE she needs all the support she can get during college basketball season. "Moms like me, we're running from game to game, running through airports trying to catch flights to different cities, and sometimes more than one in a day," she says.
New Balance
Cooper Flagg (center) and his family for New BalanceThe mother of three, who shares an older son with her husband, Ralph, recalls one game day this season in particular that had her pulling off the ultimate basketball mom feat. "Cooper's twin, Ace, was playing a game on the same day. I flew in the early morning to Atlanta to attend Cooper's game at Georgia Tech," she shares.
"They played at noon," Kelly continues, "and immediately after the game, I got on a flight back to Greensboro to attend Ace's game that night. And yeah, having Dr. Scholl's support that day was pretty key."
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Kelly is a pro when it comes to navigating a busy college basketball season, and even has other moms asking her for planning advice. "I know some moms this year have been like, 'What? I haven't booked a flight yet, it's so expensive,' and I'm like, 'You should've done it like me, three months ago,' " she says.
Kelly adds, "I took the whole schedule, because I had Ace's schedule to consider as well, and so the first thing I did was kind of put all of the games in to see where I was going to be and where I needed to get to, and also to see what were overlapping dates."
Related: Duke Star Cooper Flagg's Mom Says Her Wild Celebration Was 'a Big F-You' to 'Classless' UNC Fans
Dr. Scholl's
Kelly FlaggLuckily, on days when Kelly can't be in two places at once, or if travel doesn't allow her to catch both sons on the court, she feels "really fortunate" for her parents' support. "My mom and dad have been staying with us all season, and so when we had a conflict, they would split time with us," she shares.
"My dad and I went to that Georgia Tech game and my husband and my mom went to Ace's game, and stayed for Ace in case we didn't make it back in time. We were able to make it, but it was pretty close," Kelly continues.
Cooper and the Duke Blue Devils will host Mount Saint Mary's Mountaineers during the first round of the NCAA Tournament (a.k.a. March Madness) on Friday, March 21 at 2:50 p.m. ET.
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