Washington State Cougars guard Cedric Coward (0) controls the ball against Eastern Washington Eagles guard Andrew Cook (9) in the first half at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. James Snook Imagn Images
One of the transfers committed to Duke men’s basketball may never play on campus.
Cedric Coward committed to the Blue Devils at the end of April. The former Washington State guard entered his name into the NBA Draft, but said he would play at Duke if he returned to school. Based on comments made this week at the NBA Draft combine in Chicago, the chances of that happening appear to be dwindling.
“I’m 100% on the draft,” Coward told the media this week. “I’ve been talking to Coach (Jon) Scheyer and the staff, they’ve agreed with me in terms of making sure I can focus solely on the draft. At the end of the day, this is my dream, to make the NBA.”
When asked for further clarification on whether he intends to return to school, Coward said, “It depends on what I hear.”
Coward, said he’s received positive feedback from teams at the combine.
“The decision I’m gonna make is based off the information I get,” Coward said. “Right now, the information is definitely leaning toward staying in the draft, I can say that. But, at the end of the day, we gotta figure out the best decision to make for myself and the best decision to make for my family as I go forward.”
Meanwhile, Duke is considering alternatives, ramping up its recruitment of 18-year-old Dame Sarr, a 6-6 shooting guard from Italy. Sarr played last season with FC Barcelona in the EuroLeague and is rated the No. 17 player in the 2025 recruiting class.
Kansas had been considered the leader for Sarr, but with Coward looking more likely to stay in the NBA Draft, the Blue Devils are a stronger player in his pursuit.
Duke also has 6-5 junior guard Caleb Foster, 6-6 sophomore wing Isaiah Evans and 6-5 guard Darren Harris returning on the perimeter.
Coward does not have a threshold that would make him want to stay in the draft. He cited former Northern Colorado-turned-Tennessee star Dalton Knecht, a projected Top 10 pick last year who went No. 17. Coward is looking less at how high he would be drafted — though he’s been projected as a potential late first rounder — and which teams are most interested.
“It’s more or less the spot in terms of the number and more of the spot in terms of the team I go to,” Coward said, “how I can make an impact right away and how they see my game fitting within their system.”
He has until 11:59 p.m. on May 28 to withdraw from the draft and maintain eligibility. The NBA also has a deadline of June 15 to withdraw from consideration.
Coward was listed at 6-foot-6 and 206 pounds. At the combine, he measured 6-foot-5 1/4 and 213 pounds. He recorded a 7-foot-2 1/4 wingspan and 8-foot-10 standing reach. His max vertical came in at 38 1/2 inches.
Notably, Coward went 17 of 25 in the 3-point star drill and 14 of 23 from the corner.
“There’s stuff to work on with my game,” Coward said. “It’s all around stuff, because I’m not yet an NBA player. When I do become an NBA player, that’s where you really kick things into gear.”
Despite a rotator cuff injury limiting him to six games, Coward averaged 17.7 points and seven rebounds per game for Washington State last season. He also made 55.7% of his shots from the field, including 40% on 3-point attempts.
During Coward’s sophomore and junior seasons at Eastern Washington, he averaged 26.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per appearance.
The Blue Devils seek to replace its entire starting five, including Sion James, with whom Coward shares physical and athletic similarities.
Duke’s incoming class includes brothers Cameron and Cayden Boozer and 6-11 forward Nik Khamenia.
The Blue Devils previously snagged 6-11 center Ifeanyi Ufochukwu from Rice and guard Jake Scott from Princeton from the transfer portal.