One of the best players still left in the College Basketball transfer portal is Cedric Coward, a 6’6 wing who has spent the last three years in the northwest at Eastern Washington and Washington State. Due to injuries, Coward was limited to just six games but did average 17.7 ppg and 7.0 rpg.
Coward is also in the NBA Draft process and fits the mold of the modern NBA wing who can also defend. Assuming he comes back to college for another year, there are two teams reportedly in the mix to land him in Alabama and Duke.
Which of them makes the most sense for Coward? Here’s a closer view, looking at the pros and cons for him.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Pros
Coach Nate Oats is known for having one of the best offenses in all of college basketball. That should make it easy for Coward to go from the WCC to the SEC. Plus, with players such as Jarin Stevenson, Derrion Reid and Chris Youngblood gone, there’s room on the wings for the former Wazzu wing to come in and get minutes.
Cons
However, the x-factor in this situation is what happens with Houston Mallette and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. set to return after missing most of last season with injuries. Both will be part of the backcourt rotation and can play the 3-spot and if they’re ahead of Coward in the future rotation, his minutes won’t be a guarantee.
Duke Blue Devils
Pros
The Blue Devils have continued being a national powerhouse in the Coach Jon Scheyer era, with three likely lottery picks coming from the most recent roster. One of them will be Kon Knueppel, who was the team's starting wing. He’s gone, plus 5-star prospect Sheldon Henderson leaving for Miami leaves a hole on the wings for Coward to come in and start.
Cons
Even with Tyrese Proctor going pro and Sion James moving on, the Blue Devils still have wing options, including former top-50 recruit Darren Harris, along with 5-star combo forward prospect Nikolas Khamenia. If Isaiah Evans breaks out as a sophomore himself, there’s a chance the Coward’s role could diminish at Duke, especially if the next freshmen core is great. That could hurt his draft stock more than anything.