Illinois Basketball: Illini eyeing a 2023 big man from Indianapolis

Kofi Cockburn has solidified the Illinois basketball frontcourt for the 2021-22 campaign.

Illini fans need to be thankful that Kofi returned for one more season with the program. I believe this will be his final ride with the team. That means Illinois needs a big man for the future. That big man could end up being Xavier Booker.

Booker is a 6-foot-10, 205-pound center from Cathedral High School and resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. He isn’t rated or ranked by 247Sports just yet, but Booker is already getting some solid recruiting attention.

As of right now, Booker has roughly 10 scholarship offers. Some of the bigger programs to come in with an offer include the likes of Ohio State, Purdue and LSU.

Jackson could do it all for the Illinois basketball team.

The Illini have more of a traditional big man frontcourt right now. Kofi is going to start with Omar Payne backing him up. Those are two big men who will hunker down in the paint.

Booker is about the complete opposite of a traditional big man. While he has great size at 6-foot-10, Booker is more of a multi-tool player on the court. He can do various things to help a team win games. That is what intrigues me about potentially adding him to the Illinois roster.

The rebounding ability is there for Booker. He can use his length to go up and snag the ball off the rim. Booker also has a tremendous ability to move with or without the ball. He glides around the court and finds open space.

I love Booker’s ability to step out and hit a three-point shot. You are seeing more and more big men develop their shot from distance. There is obviously more work to be done, but the framework for a really good No. 5 is there with Booker.

The player he reminds me of in the NBA is Jaren Jackson Jr. He is a solid big who can rebound and shoot from distance. I would love for Booker to join the Illini. It would be fun seeing him put up big numbers with the Orange and Blue.