Cedric Coward has become heartless. Coward revealed on Instagram on Monday that the former standout Cougar wing has swapped in the red and gray to play for the Duke Blue Devils.
In his article, Coward stated, “I believe that blue is my color.” “I appreciate Coach Scheyer’s and the staff’s belief in me. Just as God has brought Duke to me, I firmly believe He has led me to Duke.
Coward declared he will continue to try his hand at professional basketball and maintain his name in the NBA Draft in addition to his commitment to the Blue Devils. According to Coward, there is no set timeline for when he will make his next choice; instead, he will wait and observe as his staff gathers additional data during the selection process.
The NBA Draft will take place on June 25, and the opportunity to use the college basketball transfer site concluded on April 22.
Coward is head coach Jon Scheyer’s first 2025 transfer signing and is ranked 13th in the portal by 247 Sports. It is expected to have a significant influence.
Two weeks ago, the 6-foot-6, 206-pound small forward had reduced his list of alternatives to Alabama and Duke from a list that also included Florida, Kansas, and Washington. Coward claimed that Scheyer and the Duke staff made him feel at home and that’s why he selected Duke.
“They gave me the impression that I was needed there, and I kind of gravitated toward it,” Coward remarked. In addition to being the best basketball player, I also fit in best with the culture and my personality. When it comes to humans in general and basketball players in particular, they share many of my values. Even though I’ve only known them for a short while, the bond I have with them makes it feel like I’ve known them for ages.
In his debut season with the Cougs, Coward averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists on 40% three-point shooting in six games before sustaining a ruptured labrum that necessitated surgery to end his season. Coward was the team’s top scorer before to his injury and set a career best on November 18 when he scored 30 points against Northern Colorado.
After two years in Cheney, Coward switched to nearby Eastern Washington, where he developed into a bright young star. In his junior year, he averaged 15.4 points and was named to the All-Big Sky First Team. In 2024, Coward, along with teammates LeJuan Watts, Ethan Price, and Dane Erikstrup, accompanied former Eagles and current WSU head coach David Riley from Cheney to Pullman.
At Williamette University, where he started his career playing Division III basketball, the Fresno, California native averaged 19.4 points and 12 rebounds in his freshman year. Earlier in his career, Coward claimed he “just wasn’t that good” to play at Duke, but his D-III experience helped him get to where he is now.
“I express my gratitude to my D-III coaches,” Coward remarked. “Because that experience truly helped me grow as a man and as a basketball player, engrossing myself in the game and realizing that in order to reach the level I wanted, I needed to improve and work harder.”
With previous Duke players Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Tyrese Proctor, and Khaman Maluach all declaring for the NBA draft, Coward gives the Blue Devils a significant boost in the starting lineup. In the summer, Duke lost everyone of their starting lineup, which created a huge need for Coward to fill.
Along with the five-star twins, center Cameron Boozer (N0. 3 on ESPN 100), guard Cayden Boozer (No. 16), and forward Nikolas Khamenia, Coward joins noteworthy returners Isaiah Evans and Caleb Foster as expected starters and a top-ranked recruiting class. Carlos Boozer, a former NBA player, is the father of the Boozer twins.
Despite losing four starters and the consensus No. 1 selection in Flagg from a team that advanced to the 2025 Final Four, Duke’s newest acquisition has already gotten to know his new squad and praised its quality.
“This is a team full of stars, no matter how much you want to push the narrative that you have the one star and the four guys that help them,” Coward said. “This team is full of guys who are killers and just want to do whatever they can to help us win, whether that’s playing defense or scoring 40 points or four.”
Coward should fit right in with Duke’s plethora of youthful players as a long guard with exceptional catch-and-shoot skills and the innate qualities of a three-level scoring wing. Versatility is his greatest asset, according to Coward, but he is aware that winning is what he wants to achieve.
“I know what the expectations are with the school I just committed to, and I don’t expect anything less from me as a player or from us as a team,” Coward stated. “…and just to demonstrate my skill set, which is so versatile that I will complete any task you ask me to do.”
