BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ
Duke commit Cedric Coward has chosen to remain in the 2025 NBA Draft instead of playing for Duke next season, per ESPN.
The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in his senior year at Washington State despite playing only six games.
After retaining a year of eligibility, Coward was preparing to join a stacked Duke roster, which includes five-star prospect Dame Sarr and four-star forward Sebastian Wilkins who recently signed with the program.
Instead, he will be pursuing his dream of playing in the NBA.
“This is the best opportunity for me to achieve part of my dream, which is making the NBA,” Coward told ESPN. “Everything is pointing in the right direction right now to follow that.”
The California guards performance at the combine helped contribute to his decision to remain in the draft.
“This was a difficult decision at first, but after the combine, it became a lot easier with the path I wanted to take,” he told ESPN. “This was always the main goal. Even if I went to Duke, it would have been in order to get to this level. I feel like I am ready. It didn’t hurt that I did pretty well at the Combine.”
Coward is a projected first-round pick according to CBS Sports and ESPN.
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