There has not been a lot of substantive chatter around the Duke basketball program and players who have entered the transfer portal but the Blue Devils are deep in the race for one of the best available prospects.
Cedric Coward, a transfer from Washington State, has revealed his five finalists which includes Duke, Alabama, Florida, Kansas, and Washington, according to On3 through his agent Todd Ramasar.
Coward averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game this season but only played in six contests due to injury. His previous two years were spent at Eastern Washington and during the 2023-24 season he posted 15.4 points and 6.7 rebounds on 56.5-percent shooting.
The 6-foot-6 guard from Fresno, California began his career at Willamatte University, a Division III program, and is also going through the NBA Draft process but has not emerged as a player who will be selected high.
NEWS: Washington State transfer guard Cedric Coward, one of the top available players in the portal, is down to five schools, his agent Todd Ramasar of @LifeSportsAgncy tells @On3sports:
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 15, 2025
Duke, Alabama, Florida, Kansas, and Washington
The 6-6 senior averaged 17.7 points, 7.0… pic.twitter.com/gsPI4Sk8CW
The Blue Devils are still waiting on public news to drop of any player on its roster. Mason Gillis and Sion James are the only confirmed departures after exhausting all of their eligibility, but the expectation is that Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach will enter the 2025 NBA Draft.
Multiple questions surround the future of Tyrese Proctor, Isaiah Evans, and Caleb Foster while Darren Harris, Patrick Ngongba, and Maliq Brown are anticipated to return for next season.
The only transfer that had been linked to Duke is Princeton guard Xaivian Lee, but the interest was not very serious as he never visited the program and appears to be trending towards Florida, St. John’s, or Kansas.
Jon Scheyer hit home runs in the transfer portal last offseason with Gillis, James, and Brown after not utilizing the portal at all in the previous year and suffering the consequences.
Now, the Duke head coach will have to balance trying to keep his roster for continuity plus adding talent to his team that will compliment another top ranked high school recruiting class.