Cedric Coward will be a footnote when telling the story of the 2025-26 Duke basketball team, but he still appreciates everything that the program did for him this offseason.
Coward started his career at Division III Willamette before transferring to Eastern Washington and then Washington State. However, his career as a Cougar was cut short due to injuries, playing in just six games this season.He entered the transfer portal and put his name in for the 2025 NBA Draft simultaneously, committing to Duke over Alabama before he fully stuck his teeth into the draft process which saw him skyrocket up draft boards after workouts and meetings with organizations.
It became clear that the Fresno, California native would never dawn a Duke basketball jersey as Jon Scheyer had to pivot elsewhere, eventually landing highly sought after international prospect Dame Sarr.
Despite Coward’s decision to not play for the Blue Devils, he still holds Scheyer and Duke in a very high regard.
“Coach Scheyer was super happy for me,” he said during his media availability on Tuesday in New York City before the NBA Draft.The thing that I loved about him was not only that he was a player’s coach and not only that he had a great plan, but he also wanted me to succeed anyways, whether I was [at Duke] or [in the NBA].”
There will be a lot of Blue Devils surrounding Cedric Coward at the Barclays Center on Wednesday night as Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach are expected to be selected in the Top 10 picks – and it’s something that’s not lost on him.
“Coach Scheyer, honestly, he’s going to be the next Coach K if he wants to be because he’s just that smart, he’s that much of a people person, he’s that intrigued in not only the players as players but the players as people,” he stated
