The Duke Blue Devils have landed a major addition from the transfer portal, securing a commitment from standout forward Cedric Coward.
Duke is coming off an impressive 35-4 season, but the roster has been significantly thinned by NBA departures. Cooper Flagg, Tyrese Proctor, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach have all declared for the 2025 NBA Draft.
Despite those losses, head coach Jon Scheyer received a boost with Coward’s decision to transfer from Washington State. Following his announcement, Coward discussed his thought process:
“The whole starting five is gone,” he noted. “So how do you replace that? But then I looked at who’s coming in—Caleb Foster, me, the Boozer twins, Pat Ngongba, Isaiah Evans—we’ve got killers. The shortest guy is 6’4”. We’re stacked.”
Coward emphasized that even though Duke is losing several top-tier players, the team remains loaded with talent and competitive drive.
“This group is full of stars—guys who will do whatever it takes to win. Any one of us can take over a game on any given night.”
Coward was a standout at Washington State last season, averaging 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game after transferring in from Eastern Washington, where he spent two years.
Though the Blue Devils are retooling after a Final Four appearance, they’ll still feature elite talent. With returning prospects like Caleb Foster, Isaiah Evans, and Patrick Ngongba expected to take significant steps forward, Duke looks poised to remain among college basketball’s top contenders.
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