No. 1 Kofi Cockburn
I know I am going to get some blowback for this, but Kofi Cockburn has the most impressive freshman campaign in Illini history. The kid was absolutely dominant and was legendary in his gameplay.
As a true freshman, Kofi put up tremendous numbers. He averaged 13.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. He came closer to averaging a double-double than any freshman in Illini history. His 8.8 rebounds per game are the most by a freshman as well.
The impressive numbers Kofi put up earned him a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman team. He was also the Big Ten Rookie of the Year as well. The dominance that Kofi displayed helped the Illini get back to prominence.
Do you remember how bad Illinois was before Kofi arrived? The Illini had a 12-21 record the year prior to Kofi, which is a 36.4-percent winning rate. That is the fifth-worst winning percentage in program history, and it was the worst winning percentage since the 1974-75 campaign. That is how bad things were for the program.
Kofi arrived and everything changed. Illinois went from winning 12 games to having a 21-10 record overall. They were also 13-7 in the Big Ten, which enabled the program to get the double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament.
Illinois was going to make the NCAA tournament during Kofi’s freshman campaign as well. But, sadly, the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA tournament were both canceled due to COVID-19. The Illini were going to be somewhere between a No. 4 and No. 6 seed in that NCAA tournament.
The presence of Kofi and the ability he brought to the court is one of the reasons why he made the top five Illini freshman seasons of all-time. But what Kofi did for the Illini is why he reigns as the No. 1 freshman season of all-time. Kofi is truly one of the greatest to ever do it in an Illinois uniform.