Writing Illini
Fansided

Illinois Basketball: Where does Kofi Cockburn rank among top 5 Illini center commits since 2000

By Rees Woodcock

MIDDLE VILLAGE, NEW YORK - APRIL 05: Dylan Cardwell #20 and Kofi Cockburn #21 of Oak Hill Academy celebrate against La Lumiere in the semifinal of the GEICO High School National Tournament at Christ the King High School on April 05, 2019 in Middle Village, New York. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
MIDDLE VILLAGE, NEW YORK - APRIL 05: Dylan Cardwell #20 and Kofi Cockburn #21 of Oak Hill Academy celebrate against La Lumiere in the semifinal of the GEICO High School National Tournament at Christ the King High School on April 05, 2019 in Middle Village, New York. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
ANAHEIM, CA – MARCH 24: Brian Carlwell #5 of the San Diego State Aztecs reacts after basket against the Connecticut Huskies during the west regional semifinal of the 2011 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the Honda Center on March 24, 2011 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA – MARCH 24: Brian Carlwell #5 of the San Diego State Aztecs reacts after basket against the Connecticut Huskies during the west regional semifinal of the 2011 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the Honda Center on March 24, 2011 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

3. Brian Carlwell – Class of 2006 (4-star, #56 overall, .9775 rating)

There are some players who enter the Illinois basketball program with so much promise but never live up to their ranking for one reason or another. Brian Carlwell is one of those players. This kid was supposed to be a great player with this program until one night that changed the future of a lot of people.

Carlwell was a 6-foot-10, 235-pound center from Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois. He was rated as a four-star recruit who was the No. 56 player in the class of 2006 and the No. 7 center in the nation. He was also the No. 3 player in the state of Illinois and had a class rating of .9775.

There were only a total of 29 games where we got a chance to see Carlwell play in an Illinois jersey. He averaged 1.7 points and 1.4 rebounds per game during his freshman season. February 2007 is when his life, along with others, would change forever.

The short story is teammate Jamar Smith was driving with Carlwell as a passenger. The car crashes and Smith drives it back to his apartment. He also believes Carlwell is dead. Both players survive, though. Carlwell is treated in the hospital for multiple days. Smith spends some time in jail and is dismissed from the team. Carlwell then transfers out of the program.

Carlwell finished his final two years up at San Diego State. He wasn’t a bad player there with his best season averaging 4.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. But I always wonder, what could have been if that one night in Champaign never happened.

Home/Illinois Basketball