CHICAGO — Illinois’ chances of getting to the Final Four in New Orleans rest on the big shoulders of Kofi Cockburn, which should make Illini Nation feel pretty good heading into Friday’s first-round game against Chattanooga.
The 7-foot junior has done everything coach Brad Underwood hoped for when he recruited the big man out of Oak Hill Academy in Virginia in 2019, beating out Kansas, Connecticut, Pittsburgh and St. John’s.
Cockburn has helped turn around a program that had been in a deep funk for years, becoming a dominant presence on the court and a leader off the court. He’s the perfect spokesman for a team whose extreme confidence can sometimes come off as cocky.
