Potential Duke Basketball Prize Posts Absurd Draft Measurement

Two weeks since announcing his commitment to fourth-year Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils, former Eastern Washington and Washington State standout Cedric Coward checks in at No. 13 overall and No. 2 among shooting guards in this year's transfer portal, per 247Sports.

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But given Coward's current trajectory as a highly athletic NBA Draft prospect enjoying top-shelf length for his position, it wouldn't be all that surprising if the former unrated prep from Fresno, Calif., rises almost as high as No. 13 on mock drafts by the time the NBA Draft Combine, which began on Monday, wraps up in Chicago's Wintrust Arena next week.

Of course, if that's the case, the Blue Devils would probably have to wave goodbye to their chances of actually adding Cedric Coward to the projected top-10 roster in Durham next season.

I saw Cedric Coward drop 30 for @WSUCougarsMBB in December before his injury. He’s definitely a 20 to 40 selection in this NBA Draft & has smart agents. If he stays in college, he’s a starter on national championship contender. Started career in D-3.@coach_paint pic.twitter.com/GmvQfBvNh3
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) April 18, 2025

Sure enough, on the first day of the NBA Draft Combine, the 6-foot-5, 213-pound Coward stood out in the measurements department. As ESPN's Jonathan Givony reported, Coward's official wingspan is over 7-foot-2 — an absurd nine inches greater than his height — while boasting an 8-foot-10 standing reach.

"Pretty impressive measurements," Givony wrote, "from the potential Duke recruit."

Washington State’s Cedric Coward’s official measurements from the NBA Draft Combine:

6’5 ¼" barefoot, 213 lbs with a 7’2 ¼" wingspan and 8’10” standing reach

Pretty impressive measurements from the potential Duke recruit. pic.twitter.com/C51v9UTgkF
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 12, 2025

With just over two weeks to go until the May 28 deadline to withdraw his name from the NBA Draft and retain his final season of college eligibility, the 21-year-old Coward has already cracked the first round on some big boards.

Meanwhile, even without him, Duke basketball has a promising eight-man rotation in place for its next campaign. That said, Coward's experience, length, strength, and instincts on both ends of the floor say his Duke-or-NBA decision may well determine whether the 2025-26 Blue Devils debut as high as the top five in the AP Top 25 Poll.

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