During the Cougars’ 74-69 win over Boise State on Dec. 7, Wazzu fans got a piece of bad news from the CBS broadcast of the game.

According to the broadcast, WSU senior forward Cedric Coward is scheduled for shoulder surgery and will be out indefinitely going forward.

It is a significant blow to the 8-2 Cougars. Coward, who transferred from Eastern Washington this year to play with head coach David Riley, was selected to the WCC All-preseason team, and was widely expected to be one of the leaders of this 2024-25 Wazzu squad.

So far in 2024, Coward has averaged 17.7 points, 7 rebounds and 3.7 assists. In his last two games, he scored 30 points during the Cougs win over Northern Colorado and added 22 points during the win over Eastern Washington.

The good news is that Coward is not being described as “out for the season,” but rather as “out indefinitely,” indicating that he may be able to make a return at some point this year. Shoulder surgeries usually take 4-6 months to recover from, but it depends on the severity. If Coward is out for four months, he would be out for the season.

Another piece of good news is that Coward has not been seen wearing a sling, indicating the injury might not be as bad as the CBS broadcast seemed to imply.

Of course, the Cougs have been winning without Coward. They defeated Fresno State, Nevada and Boise State in the past two weeks, and are currently 3-1 without Coward, including a pair of Quad 1 wins over the Wolfpack and Broncos. However, it is still a blow for Wazzu. Last year, the women’s basketball team lost star Charlisse Leger-Walker for the season in early February, so Coug fans are accustomed to seeing their star seniors go down.

The injury derailed the women’s basketball seasons last year. So far, losing Coward has not derailed the men’s team this fall. Isaiah Watts has stepped up into the starting role and is playing well.

For now, the Cougs will wait to hear more on Coward, and in the meantime, all the team can do is keep winning.