It appears center Kofi Cockburn’s time in Champaign has come to a close after two seasons. The 7-foot Jamaica native will reportedly remain in the NBA Draft and forgo any remaining college eligibility, according to ZagsBlog.com’s Adam Zagoria and Prospective Insight’s Andrew Slater.

Cockburn initially announced his decision to enter his name into the draft on April 18 after a dominant sophomore season. The sophomore center averaged nearly a double-double per game, going for 17.7 points and 9.5 rebounds while collecting 16 double-doubles, the third-highest mark in the nation.

The Jamaica native was one of the biggest pieces to the Illini’s success over the last two seasons after the team went 12-21 the year prior to his arrival. 

After being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2020, Cockburn found another level in 2021, earning All-Big Ten First-Team and consensus All-America Second-Team honors.

He will be joined by fellow Illini representatives juniors Ayo Dosunmu and Giorgi Bezhanishvili in the draft, which will take place July 29. Players have until July 7 to withdraw.

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