Kofi Cockburn withdraws name from 2021 NBA Draft, exploring options
More news has come out about Illinois basketball center Kofi Cockburn and what his future might hold.
Back in mid-April, Kofi decided to declare for the NBA Draft while still keeping NCAA eligibility. This would enable him to potentially come back to the Illini if he decided to pull his name out of the draft pool.
On July 1, Kofi remained in the NBA Draft pool but then entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal, making the possibility of him returning to college great. But it also meant that Kofi could come back to college and play for any team in the NCAA.
7’ Kofi Cockburn will withdraw from the NBA Draft. @kxng_alpha will explore his college options, including a potential return to Illinois. This season, Kofi was named a 2nd-team All-American & earned 1st-team All-Big 10 distinction. He can elevate a program to a National Title. pic.twitter.com/5A61W2qX5s
— 𝒜𝓃𝒹𝓇ℯ𝓌 𝒮𝓁𝒶𝓉ℯ𝓇 (@Andrew__Slater) July 6, 2021
Now, on July 6, Kofi has officially pulled his name out of the NBA Draft, one day before the deadline, and is coming back to the college game. Andrew Slater of ProInsight first reported the news of Kofi withdrawing his name from the NBA Draft.
I think it is fair to be nervous about where Kofi Cockburn will end up playing basketball.
A month ago, if I said Kofi would pull his name out of the NBA Draft and return to college, there was no question he would be coming back to Illinois. I have never had any suspicions that he might go somewhere else.
But that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Kofi entering his name into the transfer portal means that he isn’t happy with Illinois. You don’t leave a situation where you are happy. That just doesn’t happen.
Now, there is a chance Kofi does come back to Illinois. But I would imagine, and this is just speculation, that the odds of him returning to Champaign are fairly low. Again, you don’t enter your name into the transfer portal if you are happy with your situation. I would venture to say less than 3-percent of players who enter the transfer portal actually come back to their original team.
Next. Projected Illini lineup with the addition of Sencire Harris. dark
I would welcome Kofi back with open arms. He would be amazing at the No. 5 for the Illini next season. If I had to guess, though, I think the big man ends up with Kentucky. Half of Illinois’ coaching staff from last season is with the Wildcats. That seems like the logical place to transfer, if he does leave the Illini.