cedric coward: “In Jon Scheyer we trust”: College hoops fans react as Washington State guard Cedric Coward commits to Duke

Former Washington State guard Cedric Coward is transferring to the Duke Blue Devils, becoming the first player to commit to head coach Jon Scheyer's squad in this transfer portal window.

As Recruits News announced the move on an Instagram post on Monday, some fans shared their trust in Scheyer as he looks to rebuild the program for next season. The head coach will have to replace three starters from last season's Final Four team.

"Duke definitely look good on you. It is a brand. Another one the brotherhood." a fan wrote.

"In Scheyer we trust 💙😈," another fan said.

"Scheyer gets who he wants 🤷🏽‍♂️," a fan added.

After the Blue Devils lost in the national semifinals in Cooper Flagg's only college basketball season, they have now gone 10 years without a national title. Duke has advanced further in the NCAA Tournament in each season under Jon Scheyer, going from the second round in 2023 to the Elite Eight last year and the Final Four this past season.

Other fans focused on what's coming to Durham next season, hoping to land some more players and stay as one of the top programs in the nation.

"Reloading! Top 5 next season for sure 😈," a fan wrote.

"Hope we land Dame Sarr or Braydon Hawthorne please both would be great but probably unlikely," a fan suggested.

"That brotherhood ain’t no joke , dame sarr next," a fan added.

Reactions to Cedric Coward's Duke commitment. - Source: Instagram/@recruitsnews

This will be the third time Cedric Coward transfers. He began his college career at Division III Willamette for a year before transferring to Eastern Washington, where he played for a couple of years. The guard would move to Pullman ahead of last season.

Coward averaged 17.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game last season, but only took part in seven games before a knee injury sidelined him for the rest of the season. He is still declared for the NBA Draft, so he'll need to back out before the move becomes official.

Khaman Maluach leaves before Cedric Coward's arrival at Duke

While Cedric Coward's arrival is a big one for Jon Scheyer's squad, they will now have to replace another one of their top performers. Khaman Maluach entered the NBA Draft just before the deadline yesterday, joining Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel at the event.

Maluach, a South Sudanese national, averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game for the Final Four-bound Blue Devils.

While Coward is the first transfer to land in Durham, Scheyer's program also has commitments from recruits Cameron and Cayden Boozer, as well as Nikolas Khamenia.

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.

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Edited by Ruth John S