PULLMAN — Cedric Coward is officially a pro.
The former Washington State guard was selected with the No. 11 overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers, who immediately traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies, in the first round of Wednesday’s NBA draft, putting him in a tie for the highest-drafted Cougar in more than a decade. His selection also makes three straight seasons WSU has had a player selected.
In one injury-shortened season with the Cougs, Coward averaged 17.7 points, 7 rebounds and 3.7 assists, displaying his versatility and shot-creating ability before he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury during a November practice. After the season, Coward entered the transfer portal and committed to Duke, but he forwent that pledge to stay in the draft process, where he wowed NBA GMs and scouts over the course of a few weeks.
WSU has now had players selected in three straight NBA drafts, including Mo Gueye in 2023 (No. 39 overall to the Atlanta Hawks) and Jaylen Wells in 2024 (No. 39 overall to the Memphis Grizzlies), marking the first time that’s happened in the two-round draft era, which began in 1989. The Cougs had players chosen in three straight drafts in 1975-77, which included as many as 10 rounds.
So Coward now joins Wells in Memphis, which is trying to stabilize itself as a contender in the Western Conference. Last season, the Grizzlies bowed out of the first round in a sweep to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who went on to capture the NBA title. For part of the series, Memphis was without star guard Ja Morant, underscoring the injury issues that have plagued the franchise across the past few seasons.
But healthy, the Grizzlies profile as a strong team in the west, building out around Morant, big man Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey, the No. 9 overall pick in last year’s draft. If Coward can crack the rotation, which Wells did last season, he’ll be contributing to a team with high aspirations next year and in the future.
Coward is now in a tie for being the highest-drafted former Cougar since Klay Thompson, who went to the Golden State Warriors with the No. 11 overall pick in 2011. After 11 years of action in the Bay Area, Thompson signed with the Dallas Mavericks in free agency last summer.
At WSU, Coward scored in double figures in four of six games, including a 30-point outburst against Northern Colorado, a 23-point game against Portland State and a 22-point game against EWU in Spokane. He also did well to hit the boards in his short time as a Cougar, grabbing 12 rebounds against Northern Colorado, eight against Iowa and nine against Eastern Washington.
A former breakout prospect at Division III Willamette, Coward went on to spend the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons at Eastern Washington, where he blossomed into a two-way star under head coach David Riley, who accepted WSU’s head coaching job in April 2024. Later that spring, Coward followed Riley to Pullman, where he looked every bit like an NBA prospect before his injury derailed his season.
But because the 6-foot-6 Coward also tested the draft waters last spring — before eventually deciding to pull out and return to the college ranks — NBA scouts were already familiar with him and his game. They weren’t discouraged by his injury, the first of significance in his career, and he impressed at the draft combine, where he came in third in three-point shooting, fourth in spot-up shooting, fourth in sprint, fifth in free throws and sixth in off-the-dribble shooting.
In short, that’s how Coward vaulted up draft boards so quickly. Last week, he received an invitation to the green room, a staging area in front of the podium, where NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced the selections of Coward and the other 29 first-round picks. Riley and WSU assistant coach Pedro Garcia Rosado, who followed Riley from EWU, were in attendance to support Coward on Wednesday night in Brooklyn, New York.
By the end of this basketball season, it was clear how special a prospect Coward was, whether as a pro or a college player. Before committing to Duke, Coward was courted by the likes of NCAA champion Florida, Alabama and Washington. With a wingspan of 7 feet and 2 1/4 inches — 10th biggest at the draft combine, stacking up around forwards and centers around the 7-foot height mark — GMs fell in love with his tools and potential.
Coward also becomes the first former EWU player to hear his name called in the NBA draft since 2015, when the Orlando Magic used the 51st overall pick on guard Tyler Harvey, who never appeared in an NBA game. The last former Eagle to do so was 2007 draftee Rodney Stuckey, who was drafted No. 15 overall by the Detroit Pistons, going on to enjoy a 10-year NBA career.
Greg Woods: Washington State beat writer for The Spokesman-Review