Ugly scenario
There is always the possibility this offseason for the Illini could go off the rails. Ayo Dosunmu has already declared for the NBA Draft, and I think he is staying in.
Kofi Cockburn declared for the NBA Draft before Ayo. While I think Kofi is coming back to the program, there is always a chance an NBA scout says something to him and he decides to stay in the draft. That means we would lose our big-time freshman big man after one season.
Illinois wouldn’t have an option to replace Kofi this upcoming season. I like what we have coming in with Coleman Hawkins, but center isn’t his traditional position. I think Giorgi Bezhanishvili would end up taking over at the No. 5 spot.
Another blow to the team would be losing out to Gonzaga, LSU, or Iowa State for Chaundee Brown. He is a top transfer right now, and Illinois could really use him for the 2021-22 campaign. Gonzaga seems like a strong destination for transfers. Not getting him would kill the depth moving forward.
That means Illinois would ride into the 2020-21 campaign with 10 scholarship players on the roster. We wouldn’t have any size at the No. 5 spot. I could see games being lost down low. I like our starters at the No. 1-4 but there isn’t much in the way of depth. That is an issue.
This would be the worst-case scenario for the Orange and Blue. If we can’t add depth to the roster moving forward, and we lose our future All-American center, that would absolutely kill us.