Cedric Coward, a former shooting guard for Washington State who also placed his name in the 2025 NBA Draft, committed to the Duke Blue Devils, giving head coach Jon Scheyer a huge addition from the transfer portal.
Now, Coward chose to forego his season with the Blue Devils and retained his name in the draft after putting on a strong show at the NBA Draft Combine.
In the 2024–25 season, Coward, a four-star transfer prospect, gained a lot of attention by averaging 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc.
Rest assured that this is not the end of the world for the Blue Devils’ forthcoming season. Scheyer has already signed the top class of 2025 prospects and is in the process of doing the same with the class that will be graduating the following year.
Duke men’s basketball 2025 recruiting class
- Cameron Boozer, 5-star power forward
- Dame Sarr, 5-star shooting guard
- Nikolas Khamenia, 4-star small forward
- Cayden Boozer, 4-star point guard
- Sebastian Wilkins, 4-star power forward
After nearly his whole squad left for the NBA Draft, Scheyer has added more players to his roster than just the five blue-chip pledges. Iffy Ufochukwu, a three-star center, was also enticed to transfer from Rice to Duke by the head coach.
The Blue Devils will be OK in the upcoming season even without fan favorites Tyrese Proctor, Kon Knueppel, and Cooper Flagg. Scheyer’s recruiting pace has been too fast for regular top-tier opponents like the UNC Tar Heels, who aren’t expected to be contenders even in the ACC next season.
Not to add, point guard Caleb Foster is back for another year at Duke, giving the essential experience to a somewhat youthful group.
Prior to playing in the ACC, a conference with only one other team in ESPN’s way-too-early Top 25, the Blue Devils will have a daunting schedule full of difficult non-conference opponents.
