cedric coward: Analyst left in awe by Jon Scheyer's 6'6 transfer portal addition: "From D3 to possible first-round pick"

Cedric Coward is still undecided on whether he's going to the Duke Blue Devils or the NBA draft, but for draft insider Jonathan Givony, his journey has been impressive.

On an X/Twitter post from Thursday, the analyst raved at the athleticism, size and skills the former Washington State player has displayed.

"Went to see recent-Duke commit Cedric Coward in LA. Hard not to be impressed by the tremendous physical profile (huge hands, 7'2 wingspan, terrific frame) and budding skill level. Crazy trajectory from D3 to possible 1st round pick in a span of 3 years," Givony said.

Expand Tweet

The post also has a video of the graduate transfer showing his skills on the court. Coward was considered the No. 14 player on the transfer portal by 247 Sports.

After starting his college basketball career at Division III Willamette, he transferred to Eastern Washington, where he played for two seasons before making another in-state move, going to Washington State ahead of the 2024-2025 season.

In his only season at Washington State, Cedric Coward averaged 17.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 blocks per game. However, he only suited up in seven games for the Cougars before suffering a knee injury that would sideline him for the season.

For his career, the guard has averaged 12.0 ppg, 6.2 bpg and 1.9 apg in 73 games played at the college level.

Jon Scheyer is trying to reload the Duke roster for next season. The Blue Devils are losing perhaps their four biggest contributors with Cooper Flagg, Khaman Maluach, Kon Knueppel and Tyrese Proctor all entering the NBA draft.

The Duke head coach recruited brothers Cameron and Cayden Boozer, as well as Nikolas Khamenia. Coward is their only addition in the portal so far.

Will Cedric Coward play for Duke next season?

It's still unknown if the Fresno, California native will play for the Blue Devils. While Coward committed to the school, he would have to withdraw from the draft to join Jon Scheyer's squad.

Cedric Coward chose Duke over schools like Alabama, Florida, Kansas and Washington, but he still has to choose if he prefers another season of college basketball or the draft. Coward still has about seven weeks to decide on his next step.

All prospects have to decide by June 15 whether they will enter or withdraw from the draft. The Blue Devils staff is not putting any pressure on the guard to decide before that time.

About the author

Allan Wolburg Robles is a College Sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over 17 years of experience in the field writing for publications including Reforma, Yahoo! OddsShark and Apuesta. Allan studied Communications at Anáhuac University, where he learned what would become the basis of a trade that was already a dream of his before starting college.

His favorite team is Army West Point as when he was young, Allan lived in West Point for a couple of years, went to pretty much every home game, a couple of Army-Navy games and even got to meet some of the players.

Allan's favorite players of all time include Tommie Frazier, who was unbelievable during the Nebraska dynasty of the early 90's. Tim Tebow was also a favorite, mainly because of his leadership skills, although he was also awesome on the football field. As a fan of defensive football, (or what's left of it), Sean Taylor could take over a game for Miami.

Allan has always considered himself a student of the game more than a fan of it. So the historical part and evolution of the game, as well as the ins and outs of what happens on the field, and being able to put it into words for the audience, are his biggest strengths.

Besides sports, Allan enjoys reading books, watching movies and spending time with his dogs.

Know More

Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma, or Kim Mulkey - who is NCAAW's highest-paid coach? Find out here

Edited by Veer Badani