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Illinois Basketball: Illini C Kofi Cockburn receives NBA Combine invite

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 14: Kofi Cockburn #21 of the Illinois Fighting Illini on the court in the game against the Old Dominion Monarchs during the first half at State Farm Center on December 14, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 14: Kofi Cockburn #21 of the Illinois Fighting Illini on the court in the game against the Old Dominion Monarchs during the first half at State Farm Center on December 14, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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The second member of arguably the greatest duo in Illinois basketball history has now received an invitation to the NBA Combine.

According to Adam Zagoria of Forbes Sports, Illinois big man Kofi Cockburn has received the coveted invite to the combine. This news comes less than 24 hours after Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu posted on his Twitter account confirming that he received the invitation as well.

From day one, I have thought both Ayo and Kofi should test the NBA waters to see what their evaluations would be. I always thought Ayo would be gone after his sophomore season, but I was not sure about Kofi. The big man is just a freshman and has a lot of potential to be a lottery pick in the 2021 NBA Draft if he comes back to Illinois.


I am not ready to seal up Kofi’s legacy with the Illini just yet. While he has received the invitation to the NBA Combine, that doesn’t mean that he is on the board to be drafted. There are quite a few players who get invited to the combine. But there is one sticking point.

The combine is after the withdraw date for college players to pull their name out of the NBA hat. That date is set for August 3. The NBA Combine doesn’t have a definitive date just yet. I wish college basketball and the NBA would get on the same page. Even if this is Kofi’s only season with the Illini, he would leave an impressive mark on the program.

Kofi entered Illinois as one of the best big men in the class of 2019. His athletic ability mixed in with his size was something to marvel at on the basketball court. He was Illinois’ missing piece to what was a championship-contending puzzle.

The 13.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game Kofi averaged in his first season with Illinois helped propel the program to a top-four seed in the Big Ten and a sure-fire NCAA tournament bid. I would love to have seen this kid in the postseason. If it wasn’t for the pandemic, I would bet Kofi tears up the NCAA tournament and makes an even bigger name for himself.

Ayo Dosunmu invited to NBA Combine, seals Illini legacy. dark. Next

I believe Ayo is going to the NBA and Kofi is coming back for one more go-around. Kofi pairing up with incoming freshmen Adam Miller and Andre Curbelo should be extremely fun to watch. But regardless of his decision, Kofi holds a special place in the hearts of Illinois fans. This kid left everything out on the court and was a huge part of the program’s resurgence.

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