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.

Duke's length was a big reason it advanced to the Final Four, and now the Blue Devils have added more to the back court