Two-time consensus All-American Kofi Cockburn declared for the NBA draft Wednesday morning in a social media post.
The 7-foot center helped Illinois win a share of the Big Ten title this past season by averaging 20.9 points and 10.6 rebounds, one of four players in men’s college basketball to average a double-double. Now the Kingston, Jamaica, native will pursue his goal of playing at the professional level.
“To play in the NBA has been a lifetime dream of mine and I truly think it’s time for me to take that next step,” Cockburn wrote in the announcement. “With that being said I will be putting my name in the 2022 NBA Draft and signing with an agent. King out.”
In an interview with ESPN, Cockburn said he will sign with agent Todd Ramasar and that he is “100% in now” after considering the draft and entering the transfer portal last year before opting to return to Illinois. The draft will take place June 23 in New York.
Cockburn ranked eighth in the nation in rebounding and 11th in scoring this past season, helping the Illini rack up a 23-10 record and a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament before being eliminated by Houston in the second round. In his final game with the Illini, Cockburn scored 19 points and snagged eight rebounds.
After he was a consensus second-team All-American as a sophomore, Cockburn earned consensus first-team honors this spring.
“This journey has been a very special one,” Cockburn wrote on social media. “Never did I ever imagine being a part of something so fun and extraordinary. So many people to thank, but I don’t know where to start, so many wonderful memories and bonds that I will cherish for a lifetime.”
Illinois went 68-27 in Cockburn’s three seasons, winning the Big Ten Tournament title in 2021 and sharing the regular-season championship with Wisconsin this year.
With Cockburn’s exit, Illinois coach Brad Underwood will have to replace tons of veteran production, including guards Trent Frazier, Da’Monte Williams, Alfonso Plummer and Andre Curbelo — who announced his transfer to St. John’s on Friday.
Jacob Grandison, who averaged 9.6 points and 3.8 rebounds, still is weighing whether to use his final year of college eligibility.
Illinois got a commitment two weeks ago from five-star guard Skyy Clark. He joins a 2022 recruiting class that is ranked ninth nationally and also includes four-star Thornton forward Ty Rodgers and four-star guards Jayden Epps and Sencire Harris. In January the Illini added big man Dain Dainja, a transfer from Baylor.
Earlier this month, Underwood told reporters that Cockburn was “going through the process” of deciding whether to enter the draft or return for another season in Champaign.
“He’s got his group of people that he deals with and he’s got to talk to,” Underwood said. “They’re sampling everything out there on the NBA side as well as the possibilities of coming back where he could set all of our records.”
Gavin Good is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
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