Big Ten: Illinois Basketball Star Kofi Cockburn Enters Transfer Portal
After declaring for the NBA Draft back in April, Illinois center Kofi Cockburn has elected to put his name in the transfer portal. For now, his name remains in the NBA Draft, but he will be exploring all of his options.
Andrew Slater of Pro Insight was the first to break the news in a Tweet below. Should Cockburn decide to return to college basketball, there's no guarantee he'll stay at Illinois or in the Big Ten Conference.
The deadline to withdraw from the NBA Draft is scheduled for July 7.
7’ Kofi Cockburn, who was a 2nd-team All-American & 1st-team All-Big 10, will enter the transfer portal, while keeping his name in the NBA Draft. @kxng_alpha , who averaged 17.7 points & 9.5 rebounds this season, is exploring all options. He can instantly elevate any program.🇯🇲 pic.twitter.com/a9VYNiWPlp
— 𝒜𝓃𝒹𝓇ℯ𝓌 𝒮𝓁𝒶𝓉ℯ𝓇 (@Andrew__Slater) July 1, 2021
Cockburn was a key contributor to the Fighting Illini's 2020-21 season. He averaged 17.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, bringing the team to a 24-7 overall record and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
He was the only player in college basketball to average at least 15 points and nine rebounds while shooting 60% from the floor.
Cockburn was a second-team All-American selection and was named first-team All-Big Ten last season. After a successful sophomore year, he decided to enter the NBA Draft and present his talents for professional evaluation.
He may ultimately decide to return to Illinois if he believes it is in his best interest, and current his decision allows him to continue speaking with NBA coaches.
Stories Related to Big Ten Basketball
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- NCAA APPROVES NIL POLICY: On Wednesday, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors approved an interim policy for student-athletes to make money from their name, image and likeness. CLICK HERE
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.