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Duke basketball makes huge transfer portal splash with 17.7-PPG Washington State star

Originally posted on NCAA Basketball on ClutchPoints
By Dylan Fine | Last updated Apr 28, 2025 7:20 PM ET

Duke basketball secured a significant win in the transfer portal as the program aims to take that championship-winning step under Jon Scheyer. The Blue Devils are coming off a very successful third season under their head coach. This past year’s team ran through the ACC Conference, losing just four total games, and made it to the Final Four as a No. 1 seed. While the end was disappointing with the heartbreaking loss to Houston, the season as a whole showed how the Blue Devils are in good hands going forward.

But Cooper Flagg, Kon Kneuppel, and Khalam Maluach are off to the NBA Draft. In addition, it appears that Tyrese Proctor has also played his last game in Durham. So, Jon Scheyer has been preoccupied over these past few weeks in revamping this roster, and he picked up some terrific news on Monday. According to On3 National Basketball Reporter Joe Tipton, Washington State transfer Cedric Coward has committed to Duke. Coward is one of the best guards from this portal class, coming off a season where he averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists with the Cougars. The incoming grad student has one year of eligibility remaining.

Duke basketball has gotten progressively better with each passing year under Jon Scheyer

Duke head coach John Scheyer during ACC Media Days at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Every season, the Blue Devils go farther in the NCAA Tournament under Jon Scheyer. From the second round in 2023 to the Final Four in 2025, the program is certainly trending in the right direction. And over the course of this offseason, Scheyer has retained several key players from this past season’s roster. Isaiah Evans, Caleb Foster, and Maliq Brown are all set to return to Durham and play much larger roles. In addition, the Blue Devils are bringing in a top-three recruiting class, which includes the five-star prospect Boozer twins. Scheyer, therefore, has already put together another group of players set to contend for a national championship.

Overall, Duke may not have the high-end talent it had last season. Cooper Flagg is a generational prospect who, at worst, was the best freshman the college game has seen since Zion Williamson. However, the added experience on this incoming roster, combined with an ACC Conference that, on paper, should be stronger this coming season, could make this group more equipped to handle adversity in the NCAA Tournament. In particular, Louisville is projected to be an absolute juggernaut under second-year head coach Pat Kelsey and could provide the Blue Devils with a serious challenge at the top. Regardless of the competition, the expectations are right where they belong in Durham, which is a credit to the job Scheyer has done so far in his tenure. And adding Coward significantly helps in that goal.

This article first appeared on NCAA Basketball on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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