Illinois Basketball: 3 most impactful Illini players for 2021-22

1. Kofi Cockburn

Kofi Cockburn is entering his third year wearing an Illinois basketball uniform. His first two seasons were impactful, helping lead Illinois to back-to-back winning records, a Big Ten Tournament championship, and an NCAA tournament appearance. Each year he has made a bigger and bigger impact for the Illini.

In Kofi’s freshman season, he came in with expectations of being one of the team’s best players. He averaged 13.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. He was also a reliable free throw shooter, shooting 67% from the free-throw line. At the end of his first season, Kofi was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Coming into his sophomore season, Kofi was expected by many to make a jump when it came to numbers and play on the court. His numbers did increase to 17.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. Kofi’s play got him named as an All-American, and he made an All-Big Ten team.

After weighing his options of leaving Illinois for another school or going pro, Kofi returned for his junior year. Media members around college basketball expect Kofi to be the best player on the team after being named as the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year and a preseason All-American.

Kofi is set to miss the first three games of the season, but I don’t think that will affect him much. I expect his numbers to take a bit of a dip, though. I think he will average around 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 block per game. I also believe he will end the season as an All-American once again and lead Illinois basketball to another tournament appearance.