High praise from well-respected experts and the Duke basketball commitment itself should only boost the transfer pledge's draft stock.

That sentiment, while enthusiastic, also reflects a calculated choice. Coward chose Duke over offers from top programs like Alabama, drawn by a system that emphasizes ball movement, positional flexibility, and defensive intensity, areas where he has shown strength.

To help replace the loss of Coward and the other four Cougars who have gone portaling, WSU has landed three reinforcements from the portal: Boise State transfer wing Emmanuel Ugbo, Morehead State guard Jerone Morton and High Point transfer forward Simon Hildebrandt, who announced his decision on Sunday.