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Illinois Basketball: The good, the bad, and the expectations for Kofi Cockburn

By Rees Woodcock

Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) juggles tennis balls during warmups ahead of tipoff against Loyola Chicago during the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 21, 2021, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. Mandatory Credit: Alton Strupp/IndyStar via USA TODAY Sports
Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) juggles tennis balls during warmups ahead of tipoff against Loyola Chicago during the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 21, 2021, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. Mandatory Credit: Alton Strupp/IndyStar via USA TODAY Sports /
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CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS – DECEMBER 14: Kofi Cockburn #21 of the Illinois Fighting Illini on the free throw line in the game against the Old Dominion Monarchs at State Farm Center on December 14, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

Bad

There is not a lot of bad about Kofi Cockburn’s game. As stated in the previous slide, he is physically dominant in just about every aspect of the game.

But there is one issue I have with Kofi, and this is an issue that will bite him moving forward in his career. The Illini big man needs to improve his shooting from 5-15 feet.

If you just look at Kofi’s stats, you will see he is a good shooter by percentage. He actually increased his shooting percentage from 53.2% as a freshman to 65.4% last season. Despite the great shooting percentage, a vast majority of these shots are right around the hoop.

Kofi does not have a good shot from 5-15 feet, though. I would love for him to develop some touch in this range. Honestly, it would not be a terrible idea to get Giorgi Bezhanishvili back in to help teach Kofi his baby hook shot that he mastered before leaving the Illini.

Don’t worry, I am getting to the biggest “bad”. Kofi needs to start making free throws at a higher clip, which is from 15 feet.

As a freshman, Kofi was hitting 67.7% of his free throws, but that number dropped down to just 55.3% this past season. Regressing from a 67.7% free throw shooting season is never a good thing. He can hit free throws, though. There was multiple 80% or better games this past campaign.

Overall, Kofi’s “bad” is shooting between 5 and 15 feet. I have no doubt this kid is one of the best players in the country, but this “bad” is a glaring issue.

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