Cedric Coward Update

A big decision looms.

There’s a lot of buzz about Cedric Coward going to the NBA rather than transferring to Duke. It’s impossible to know what he’ll do, but at this point, he’s a potential first round draft pick and that has to be tempting.

However, the paradigm has changed, and when he runs the numbers, he may decide that Duke is the better business decision. Why?

For several reasons.

First, he wouldn’t be the first guy who was sold as a first-round draft pick only to tumble into the second. It happened to Kyle Filipowski just last year.

Second, NIL money is not that far off of NBA money, especially if you’re further down the draft.

And third, Duke is a somewhat unique platform, not least of all for a guy like Coward who has made a spectacular rise from a D-III player to a potential first round pick.

Playing for the Blue Devils offers him a chance not to just to raise his profile and polish his skills, but also to add significantly to his endorsement portfolio. And unlike the past, he can start immediately. He could make a lot of money as a Blue Devil.

Even so, it’s a tough decision and his injury last season might lead him to get while the getting is good. There’s nothing any of us can do but wait for him to decide.