PULLMAN, Wash. — Former Washington State and Eastern Washington wing Cedric Coward will stay in the 2025 NBA Draft pool and forgo his final year of college eligibility.

Coward announced last month that he would be transferring from Washington State to Duke, but after presumably receiving positive feedback from NBA scouts and coaches, he will now hope to hear his name called at the NBA Draft, set for June 25-26.

“This is the best opportunity for me to achieve part of my dream, which is making the NBA,” Coward told Jonathan Givony of ESPN. “Everything is pointing in the right direction right now to follow that.”

The 6-foot-6 senior played just six games for the Cougars before sustaining a season-ending shoulder injury during a practice in late November. Despite the limited action, Coward quickly emerged as one of the most talented players on first-year head coach David Riley’s roster.

In those six appearances, Coward averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists, while shooting 55.7% from the field and 40% from 3-point range. He scored a season-high 30 points in Washington State’s second game of the season and nearly recorded a triple-double against his former team, Eastern Washington, finishing with 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in what would be his final game in a Cougars uniform. Washington State opened the season with a 5-1 record with Coward leading the way.

After rehabbing the injury, Coward said it would not be an issue at the next level.

“NBA teams learned that the injury wasn’t a setback,” Coward told ESPN. “I got better and became more profound in all the different details of my game.”

Coward previously played two standout seasons at Eastern Washington under Riley in 2022 and 2023. He began his college career at Division III Willamette and is projected as a likely first-round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.

In two seasons at Eastern Washington, Coward appeared in 66 games and totaled 743 points, 404 rebounds, 115 assists, 59 steals and 51 blocks. He was a unanimous selection to the All-Big Sky first team in 2023, shooting 56.5% from the field, 38.3% from 3-point range and 89.5% from the free-throw line.

Most recent mock drafts have Coward going in the mid to late first round. CBS Sports projects him to the Utah Jazz with the 21st overall pick, ESPN has him going to the Los Angeles Clippers at No. 30, Sports Illustrated places him 13th to the Atlanta Hawks, and Yahoo slots him 17th to the Minnesota Timberwolves.