Central East grad Cedric Coward drafted 11th overall in NBA Draft, will play for Memphis Grizzlies

Fresno autochthonal Cedric Coward was selected 11th wide by the Portland Trail Blazers.

That prime was traded to Memphis, meaning the erstwhile Central Grizzly volition commencement his NBA vocation with the Grizzlies.

Coward's travel to a first-round draught prime is 1 of the astir improbable stories successful NBA history.

He didn't play connected the varsity squad astatine Central East until his inferior season. In 2020, helium averaged 17 points per game, and his Grizzlies came a handbasket distant from winning the D-I title, falling 85-83 to Bullard successful the COVID-shortened season. He was Central's Athlete of the Year successful 2021 and a two-time National High School Scholar.

Coward started his assemblage vocation astatine Willamette University, a tiny Division-III schoolhouse successful Salem, Oregon known much for its academics than its athletes.

It was determination that the Fresno autochthonal averaged 19 points and 12 rebounds a game.

That was bully capable to beryllium named Northwest Conference Freshman of the year, wherever helium was a first-team All-NMC selection.

From Western Oregon, Coward moved to Eastern Washington, wherever helium was a unanimous first-team All-Big Sky selection, averaging 15 points successful his inferior year.

Coward transferred again, pursuing his caput coach, David Riley, to Washington State.

Primed for a breakout elder season, helium averaged 17 points and 7 rebounds a crippled earlier a season-ending enarthrosis wounded conscionable 6 games into the season.

Following a dense recruitment, helium committed to Duke University arsenic thing of an security argumentation if the NBA Draft didn't enactment out.

Instead, Coward is heading to the league and is the 3rd first-round draught prime from Fresno successful the past 5 years pursuing AJ Johnson successful 2024 (23rd wide to the Bucks) and Jalen Green successful 2021 (2nd wide to the Rockets).

Central Unified School District has present produced a first-round prime successful back-to-back years successful some the NFL (Xavier Worthy) and successful the NBA (Coward).

Coward's gramps connected his mother's broadside is Maxie Parks, a Washington Union postgraduate who won an Olympic golden medal successful the 4x400 relay astatine the 1976 Montreal Games.

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