Just one player so far has decided to come to Duke via the transfer portal this offseason. That player is former Washington State wing Cedric Coward, who recently committed to Duke after taking an official visit.
Coward is a major get for head coach Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils, but his commitment comes with a caveat. Alongside entering the transfer portal this offseason, he also entered his name in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Coward committed to Duke as a transfer player, but he's still looking at his options as far as the NBA is concerned. In that sense, Duke has no guarantees just yet that he'll be on the roster next season. He also has no timeline as to when that decision will come despite the fact that he just committed to the Blue Devils.
“There’s no set timetable on when the decision is going to be made but, as I gain more information, as I talk to the people close, close to me and that have the information in order for me to make that decision, and as I talk more to Coach Scheyer and the staff, we’ll come to a decision on what’s best for me," Coward told "The Field of 68" (h/t On3).
The draft is on June 25, so something is going to have to give here in the next two months. Coward relayed that he wants to make an informed decision, but he seemed rather pleased that Scheyer and the Blue Devils are giving him a chance to let it play out. That likely played a role in his decision to transfer to Duke.
"Something with Coach Scheyer and the staff that really, I really respected is that they respected my choices in terms of, like, still going along with this,” Coward explained.
If Coward stays at Duke, he'll likely be one of the top players in the nation. As a junior at WSU last season, he averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
Notably, ESPN ranks Coward as the 52nd best prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft. One would imagine a great year at Duke in 2025 could help raise his profile, but it remains to be seen what he decides to do.
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Matt LaFleur is earning the ire of several of his Green Bay Packers players early in training camp. On Tuesday, LaFleur punished offensive tackle Rasheed Walker for his altercation with defensive end Kingsley Enagbare. However, the most interesting interaction of the day came between LaFleur and tight end Tucker Kraft. Per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, LaFleur called out Kraft for two questionable fumbles during the first week of practice. Both "fumbles" came after the play was over or when the ball fell out of bounds. "Certainly, we all know what kind of player Tucker Kraft is and can be," LaFleur said. "He can’t allow Evan Williams to reach around and punch a ball out, so it is challenging everybody and hopefully that makes us that much better.” The third-year tight end took issue with LaFleur calling him out in front of the media and blamed the coaching staff for implementing practice rules that made it easy for offensive players to fumble. "I’d say a lot of the times — there’s certain rules you play with in practice, like just letting the defense punch repeatedly," Kraft said. "You’re not allowed to stiff-arm. I guess all I have are excuses. Yes, I am working on not fumbling the ball in practice." Schneidman said Kraft answered the question with a tone of sarcasm. Kraft was frustrated that he couldn't defend the ball by stiff-arming a defender trying to poke the ball from his undefended arm. Kraft acknowledged that during practice, he has to "play by the rules" LaFleur makes and is trying to work on having a "yes sir, no sir" attitude with his head coach. He then made a vague reference about a "bus fine" and accused LaFleur of throwing him under the bus in front of the media. Schneidman believes the tight end might actually be calling for Green Bay to fine LaFleur after his discouraging quote Tuesday morning. "So yes, the Packers’ third-year tight end might be calling for his head coach to be fined — not by the league, of course, but by the team — for what he perceived as throwing him under the bus," Schneidman wrote. "Is Kraft being serious about fining LaFleur? "Probably not. Is he peeved LaFleur called him out? It sure seems like it." LaFleur might do better to have a conversation with Kraft before dragging his name into news conferences with reporters. It's clear Tucker doesn't see eye-to-eye with LaFleur about fumbles. This is a good reminder to those getting overly excited or nervous reading practice reports that what happens at practice should be taken with a grain of salt. Most likely, Tucker is going to be fine.
The World Junior Summer Showcase is in full swing, and Maple Leafs top prospect Ben Danford is shattering expectations, truly proving how good of a player he can be. The Toronto Maple Leafs' defensive prospect, Ben Danford, is among the 44 players who were invited to Hockey Canada's World Juniors Summer Showcase. Hockey Canada finally unveiled the 44 prospects who will head to Minnesota for the showcase, after they held the roster release back while the organization dealt with several injuries, which begins Sunday and runs through August 2 in Minneapolis. Defensive prospect Ben Danford is the only Maple Leafs player invited to the annual showcase, where Canada's World Junior staff will get their first look at what their team might look like for the 2026 World Juniors, which will also take place in Minnesota in December. Danford is being called the best player at the World Juniors Summer Showcase Danford has been exceeding expectations, and one source revealed that he has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase so far. The source said Danford is steady, smart, and hard to ignore on the ice. 'Ben Danford has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase he's steady, smart, and impossible to ignore. Makes every shift count, whether he's breaking up plays or starting the rush. Canada's blue line is in good hands.' - An unnamed source The Maple Leafs selected Danford with their first pick (31st overall) at the 2024 NHL Draft. During his visit to Toronto's development camp earlier this month, the defender revealed that he's receiving mentorship from current Leafs defensemen as well as some alumni like Mark Giordano. The 6-foot-2 Danford could make for an excellent fit for Canada should he make the team. He is responsible in his own end, and he demonstrated leadership capabilities when he was named captain of the Oshawa Generals ahead of the 2024-25 OHL season.
The New York Mets, despite plenty of ups and downs, have been one of the best teams in all of Major League Baseball so far this season, but they know they will need to stay healthy in order to stay at the top of the NL East and make a push for a World Series. On Tuesday night, the Mets suffered a significant injury. During the fourth inning of a critical series against the San Diego Padres, star outfielder Juan Soto fouled a ball off of his foot and was pulled from the game with a foot contusion. After the game, Soto gave an optimistic update on the status of his foot, via SNY. “I think it’s gonna be good,” Soto said. “I think it’s gonna be good. We’ve just got to get the swelling down. Whenever the swelling is down, I think we’re gonna be fine. X-rays are negative, so it’s a good sign. We’ve just got to wait for the swelling to come down and go back to where I’m at.” Soto also addressed his pain level after the game, after appearing to be in a world of hurt when he went down on the field originally. “It’s actually numb,” he said. “I don’t feel anything right now. It’s getting a little stiff but we’re gonna see in the morning how it goes.” Soto has been finding his stride of late for the Mets after some rocky moments earlier in the season, so New York will want to have him back in the lineup as soon as he can possibly get out there. For the season coming into Tuesday, Soto had racked up 25 home runs and 62 RBI. He was hitting just .249, but was still an on-base machine with an MLB-leading 84 walks. The Padres went on to beat the Mets very comfortably in a 7-1 blowout on Tuesday night, but New York still sits in the top spot in the NL East by a half-game over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets and Phillies are two of the best teams in baseball, so the health of a player like Soto can go a long way toward deciding who comes out on top.
The first week of training camp has wrapped up, and the Baltimore Ravens look as good as advertised. Veterans and rookies are making the most of their offseason and are ready to prove themselves this year. While countless winners are standing out in camp thus far, some find themselves on the short end of the stick. Here are two winners and two losers from the first week of Ravens training camp. 2 winners and 1 loser from first week of camp Winner: The Ravens' wide receiver room Baltimore's passing attack took significant strides in 2024, eclipsing 4,000 yards for the first time in the Lamar Jackson era. Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman are continuing to shine in training camp, but the most anticipated weapons heading into these weeks were DeAndre Hopkins and Devontez Walker. They are already showing out. Critics are questioning if the end is near for Hopkins heading into the 2025 season. After an underwhelming 2024 campaign with the Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs, the 33-year-old has gotten off to a fast start with the Ravens. He has already formed a strong relationship with Jackson and continues to make the highlight reel catches he is known for. Second-year wide receiver Devontez Walker is following in the veteran’s footsteps. It sounds like every day, Walker shows up and is one of the best players on the field. His performance this summer is deserving of reps once the regular season kicks off. While he has a long way to go in terms of earning those reps, his showing proves the Ravens have one of the deepest receiving groups in the NFL. Loser: Bilhal Kone Bilhal Kone is one of the many sixth-round selections looking to secure a roster spot in Baltimore. The 23-year-old entered training camp in a stacked cornerback room, mainly competing with fellow rookie corner Robert Longerbeam. While Longerbeam has not been making headlines, Kone is already losing some ground. While Kone made some plays early in camp, he fell victim to the injury bug, injuring his shoulder in Saturday’s practice, and has yet to return to the field. For a late-round pick like Kone, camp and preseason are crucial to catch coaches' attention and land on the team’s initial 53-man roster. If he does not return soon, his chances of that will become more difficult. Winner: Trenton Simpson Trenton Simpson has another opportunity to win a starting job in Baltimore. All offseason, he looked great, and he continues to do so in camp. He started on the right foot with an interception and is getting praise from All-Pro Roquan Smith as well. “Trent’s taken a big step, mentally, physically, the dude looks like a Greek god,” Smith said. “He looks really good. He’s matured a lot. I know he’s gonna take a big step and I’m excited to see him prove to himself play in and play out, game in and game out.” That kind of praise does not come easy. Although Simpson tends to impress at camp, and there is still concern about how he will perform in game action, the future looks brighter after a dismal 2024 season. Training camp is just getting started, but the team's early showing is getting fans excited for what 2025 has to offer. There will be countless highs and lows as we inch closer to the regular season, but this first week has been encouraging. More Balti
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