MEMPHIS — You had to be a really, really big college basketball fan to know the name Cedric Coward before this year’s pre-draft process.

Really big. From division three to Eastern Washington to Washington State, Coward has bounced around. Even at Wazzo, Coward only played in six games last year before a season-ending labrum injury. But Coward impressed enough to commit to Duke out of the transfer portal only to shine during the NBA draft process. So much so that Coward bet on himself. He kept his name in the draft instead of heading to Durham.

A decision that paid off when the Grizzlies traded up into the lottery to take the 6’6″ athletic wing. A pick that has played to rave reviews thanks to measurables like a 7-2 wingspan and an almost 39 inch vertical for a player that excels on both ends of the floor.

While his rise to the NBA may surprise many, Coward is not one of them.

“I won’t say it’s like super hard to believe because me personally, I always believed in myself,” Coward said. “I might have been crazy or delusional to some people three years ago. But at the same time, this was always the end goal in terms of where I wanted to play last, which was the NBA.”

But just getting drafted was only part of the plan.  Sticking in the NBA is what’s next on the road that only he has taken.

“Now it’s just the start of a new goal. The new goal is to make an impact in winning and become the best possible player I can. Not only for myself but for the Grizzlies. Ultimately, when I look at the journey, it’s special. It’s my journey. It’s not anybody else’s. It’s something that I had to go through.”