Now that Washington State transfer shooting guard Cedric Coward has revealed his last two school options—Duke and Alabama—the Duke basketball program is well-positioned to make its first significant impression on the transfer portal.
Once Coward chooses a school, his main concentration remains on the NBA Draft.
But according to Coward’s counsel, the 2025 NBA Draft remains his first priority. In an attempt to gauge interest, Coward declared that if he were to return to college for the 2025–2026 season, he would play for either the Blue Devils or the Crimson Tide.
Coward spent two seasons at Eastern Washington after starting his collegiate career at Division III Willamette University. He played for Washington State during the 2024–25 season.
Averaging 17.7 points, seven rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game on 55.7% field goal and 40% three-point shooting, the senior only played six games with Wazzu last season due to injury.
In 2024, he earned a unanimous All-Big Sky First Team pick whilst with Eastern Washington.
According to On3’s Transfer Portal Industry Rankings, the Fresno, California native is presently ranked as the eighth shooting guard and the twenty-first overall player in the transfer portal. He is the third shooting guard still available and the fifth overall player in the portal.
Even though Coward is primarily focused on this summer’s NBA Draft, he isn’t considered a highly-touted talent, so this is a major breakthrough for Jon Scheyer and his school. Coward is regarded by ESPN as the #55 overall 2025 NBA Draft prospect, which puts him in danger of not being chosen at all.
Following the departure of the whole starting five from the previous season, the 2025–26 Blue Devils would greatly benefit from the acquisition of Coward in terms of both experience and scoring. Cooper Flagg, Tyrese Proctor, and Kon Knueppel have all announced their intentions to enter the NBA Draft, and Khaman Maluach is anticipated to follow suit shortly.
Caleb Foster and Cayden Boozer are now the Blue Devils’ most likely starting backcourt. Isaiah Evans hasn’t made a choice yet whether he is coming back to Duke or not, but with the portal closing today, the likelihood Evans is back in Durham are significantly higher.
Additionally, Darren Harris said that he will be returning for a sophomore year.
Last season, Scheyer brought in Sion James from Tulane as a graduate transfer thanks to his excellent backcourt play in the gateway. If Coward were to return to college, Duke is one of the two collegiate colleges he is considering. He would be a big asset to the Blue Devils on both sides of the court in 2025–2026.
