Illinois Basketball: Illini center Kofi Cockburn makes The World Team

Some of the best players in the world compete at the Nike Hoop Summit, and a member of the Illinois basketball team will get a chance to suit up for The World Team.

On Tuesday, the Nike Hoop Summit released their rosters. The World Team comprises of some really talented players. One of those players is Illini commit, Kofi Cockburn.

Cockburn is a 6-foot-11, 248-pound center from Oak Hill Academy in Mouth Of Wilson, Virginia. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 41 player in the class of 2019 and the No. 10 center in the nation. He is also the No. 2 player in the state of Virginia as well.

The World Team has players from all over the globe that aren’t from the United States. Cockburn hails from Kingston, Jamaica. He never played organized basketball growing up until he came to the states, according to a 2018 article by Slam Online. His first game of organized basketball was during his freshman year of high school. Fast forward three years and he is one of the top players in the country and one of the big men on The World Team for the Nike Hoop Summit.

I am just thankful Illinois is getting Cockburn. He is going to fit nicely in with the talent we have on the team right now. He running with Ayo Dosunmu, Trent Frazier and Giorgi Bezhanishvili, among others, is going to be a fun sight to see.

Let’s not forget as well, Cockburn is the first big man who is ranked in the top 50 any Illinois coach has been able to pull in since Meyers Leonard. That was back in 2010. It will be nice to have someone in the middle of the paint to be able to protect the rim and score as well.

Cockburn continues to get notoriety for being a dominant big man. His addition to The World Team is going to give him some valuable experience. I am excited to see what he can do on the court.