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Illinois Basketball: Good, bad and ugly scenarios for the Illini offseason

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - NOVEMBER 18: Illinois head coach Brad Underwood speaks with his team during a time out in a huddle during a college basketball game between the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and Illinois Fighting Illini on November 18, 2018 at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - NOVEMBER 18: Illinois head coach Brad Underwood speaks with his team during a time out in a huddle during a college basketball game between the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and Illinois Fighting Illini on November 18, 2018 at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 25: Chaundee Brown #23 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during the first half during their game against the Duke Blue Devils at LJVM Coliseum Complex on February 25, 2020 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /

Bad scenario

There are multiple scenarios where I will feel just okay about the Illini for the upcoming season.

If Illinois has Kofi Cockburn coming back for his second season but we fail to add anyone else this year, that would make me feel just okay. Kofi would solidify the No. 5 spot, but I would still have a major issue with depth behind the starting five.

Let’s say Kofi doesn’t come back. What could be an option for the Illini to make me feel okay about what is happening? I would say landing Chaundee Brown would help the situation. Brown is arguably the best option out on the transfer market. There is a reason so many teams were after the kid.

Really, if you break it down, I need either Kofi or Brown to come back or join the team this offseason. I realize that Brown has to sit out the year, but he would at least give me reassurance that the future will be bright. It might still be a struggle for the upcoming season, though.

I am not sure if there would be any other options to get me to feel okay about the future. Brandon Weston isn’t going to reclassify. That leaves few options out there for Illinois to add. I like Jordan Nesbitt, but he alone wouldn’t make me feel good about the offseason. He would still need to reclassify too.

Illinois has a chance to improve this offseason. I think we need either Kofi or Brown to really help drive home the possibility of being a national contender again.

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