As good as Duke was this past season, finishing as the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and winning the ACC regular season and tournament titles, it was impossible for fans of the Blue Devils not to let their minds wander to what could have been with Cedric Coward.
That was especially true after Duke got knocked out in the Elite Eight after blowing a big lead against UConn.
If Duke fans had moved on and forgotten about it, a lighthearted moment between Coward and Duke's Isaiah Evans this week at the NBA Draft brought it back to the forefront of their minds.
Coward walked up to Evans mid-interview to ask him a question, and began by apologizing for not joining him at Duke.
"Me and you would have had that place turnt up," Coward said to Evans.
“Sorry I didn’t come (to Duke)… me and you would’ve had that place turnt up”
— Zion O. (@DukeNBA) June 22, 2026
Cedric Coward interviewing Isaiah Evans 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/W5LJKf31X0
Cedric Coward and Isaiah Evans joke about what could have been at Duke
As good as Duke was, can you imagine how much better it could have been if Coward had ended up in Durham?
Coward, who played at Washington State during the 2024-25 season, was one of the biggest prizes in the Transfer Portal a year ago. While going through the NBA Draft process, Coward committed to Duke over Alabama.
Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, Coward blew up during the pre-draft process and elected to stay in the draft. He was ultimately selected by the Memphis Grizzlies in the lottery and went on to have a productive rookie season. While he didn't team with Cameron Boozer in college, he could be just a few short hours away from teaming with him in the NBA. The Grizzlies have been the most likely landing spot for Boozer in the draft, which would allow Duke fans to see that pairing one year too late.
With every loss comes a lesson, though. Coward was Duke's big portal addition a year ago, and his decision to stick in the draft changed how Jon Scheyer approached the Transfer Portal this offseason.
Duke's big addition was Wisconsin's John Blackwell, who, while going through the draft process himself, was never a serious threat to stick in the draft as a projected mid-to-late 2nd Round pick at best.
Duke prioritized Blackwell and didn't prioritize Santa Clara's Allen Graves, who was one of the top players in the portal, too. Graves would have been a Coward-level dice roll, and Scheyer would have hit snake eyes again as Graves elected to remain in the draft.
So while Coward would have had a major impact on last year's team, in the very least, he played a pivotal role in Duke's new approach to the portal.
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