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If patience is a virtue, then Cedric Coward is a virtuoso. Coward is tearing it up for the Memphis Grizzlies as a rookie, averaging 13.3 ppg (behind only Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and VJ Edgecombe among rooks) and 6.2 rpg. He should land a spot on the All-Rookie First Team, and will get some darkhorse love for Rookie of the Year come season’s end, too.

And yet, despite being a Lottery pick in 2025, just a few years ago Coward had zero DI offers out of high school, and started his college career at DIII Willamette University in Oregon. One summer during college, Coward wasn’t even in the gym. He was outside in the California sun, building a house with his grandfather—an incredible athlete in his own right, Olympic track & field Gold medalist Maxie Parks.

“It was just bare land,” recalls Coward. “There was sand in a pit, and we had to take the sand out of this pit and literally build the foundation from the ground up. You gotta be real patient with that, and you gotta do it the right way, because the house can collapse if you don’t. To get the whole house done, you have to do it in steps, and you can’t skip steps.”

He adds with a laugh, “But it also taught me that I can’t live without basketball.” 

Coward’s next steps on the court included transferring to Eastern Washington and later Washington State, where he skyrocketed onto the national scene. He committed to Duke after last season before ultimately deciding to stay in the Draft, where he landed with the Grizzlies as the No. 11 overall pick. 

His humble approach is a perfect fit for the city of Memphis, where Coward says he’s been met with Southern hospitality since the jump. “Not just because I’m a basketball player, but I think they can relate to my path, being a grind-it-out path of being patient,” he says. “They’ve welcomed me with open arms.”

In less than one full season, Coward has already emerged as a franchise cornerstone. His pure shooting stroke and two-way impact have earned him comparisons to All-Stars like Jalen Williams and Kawhi Leonard. “I always tell people, there’s only one Kawhi and there’s only one me. At the same time, if you’re getting compared to a future Hall of Famer, that’s pretty good,” admits Coward. “But I have a lot more work to do.”

Photos via Getty Images.