Washington State forward Cedric Coward is officially keeping his name in the 2025 NBA Draft, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter link).
Reports during and after the draft combine indicated this was the expected outcome for Coward, but it’s notable for a couple of reasons. For starters, he had committed to playing next season at Duke but will no longer do so as he heads to the pros.
Secondly, it is perhaps indicative that Coward has first-round value to teams. He currently ranks 35th on ESPN’s list of top 100 prospects, but after an impressive combine, this decision seems to indicate he’s expecting to be taken in the first. He was the 30th player off the board in ESPN’s most recent mock draft.
Coward played six games at Washington State in 2024/25 before suffering a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the remainder of his senior season. He averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 55.7% from the floor and 40.0% on three-pointers during his abridged stint with the Cougars.
Before transferring to Washington State, he played two years at Eastern Washington, averaging 11.3 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 66 games. He spent his freshman season at Willamette University in Oregon.
I like that call. I like that call
The jokes write themselves with that name.