Illinois Basketball: The case for Kofi Cockburn to win National Player of the Year

Illinois basketball star, Kofi Cockburn, has been on an absolute tear so far this season.

However, the Illini junior has been tremendously disrespected in many analysts’ National Player of the Year rankings.

Many NPOY rankings by notable college basketball analysts have come across my Twitter feed. None of them have Kofi as the nation’s leading candidate, which is flat-out wrong.

The highest ranking I’ve seen the Illini big man given is No. 2 by Stadium college hoops analyst Jeff Goodman on January 7.

Hoops writer for the Mountain West Conference Wire, Sean Paul, had Kofi as low as No. 6 in his January 7 ranking.

The most disrespectful ranking of them all is from Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller with Kofi sitting at No 10 after previously being at No. 14.

"“Arizona was able to limit him to 13 points and 13 rebounds with five turnovers,” Miller backs up his low ranking of Cockburn."

Ok.  Take a deep breath, Collin.  Enough with the negatives, now let’s dive into the good stuff.

Here is the case for Kofi Cockburn to be National Player of the Year.

A top-four scorer

Kofi, who leads the Illini in scoring, is also among the nation’s top scorers, ranking No. 4 with his 22.5 points per game.  This also ranks No. 3 in the Big Ten conference.

The big man has scored over 20 points in all but four of 11 games played so far this season.  This includes a ridiculous 38-point performance against UT Rio Grande Valley, where he shot 15-of-19 from the floor.  All of these points came either down low or from the charity stripe, as Kofi hit 8-of-11 free throw attempts.

Kofi is currently on a scoring tear, recording 20+ point performances in each of the Illini’s last four games. He is scoring a lot and he’s doing it efficiently, ranking No. 16 in the nation in field goal percentage at 62%.  This feat also ranks second in the Big Ten.

A top-three rebounder

Along with his scoring success, Kofi has dominated opponents in rebounding. He ranks No.3 in the nation with 12.5 rebounds per contest. He is only behind Kentucky big man Oscar Tshiebwe (15.1 RPG) and Utah Valley center Fardaws Aimaq (13.6 RPG).

Kofi’s 8.6 defensive boards per game also ranks No. 3 nationally, while his 3.8 offensive rebounds per contest ranks No. 8. His12.5 rebounds, 8.6 defensive rebounds, and 3.8 offensive rebounds all rank No. 1 in the Big Ten.

In all but two games this season, Kofi has been in the double-digits in rebounding, recording an absurd season-high of 18 rebounds against both Maryland and Iowa.

Double-Double King

Kofi ranks among the nation’s top four in yet another category.  He is top four in double-doubles this season.

The junior has put up a double-double in nine of 11 games this season, which leads the Big Ten and ranks No.4 in the country.

Mr. SC Top 10

Another feat the Illini’s star big man has accomplished is an appearance on Sportscenter’s Top 10 plays for his ferocious slam-dunk over two Maryland defenders in a play that screamed “bullyball.”

Kofi isn’t just dominating the Big Ten. He is amassing numbers this season that put him with the best of the best in the college basketball world. Kofi is the driving force behind Illinois’ success, and for that, the Illini big man is deserving of the National Player of the Year award at this point in the season.