MAC ON SPORTS: COCKBURN CHOOSES TO RETURN TO ILLINOIS FOR 2021-22 SEASON
J. Thomas McNamara
Fighting Illini All-American Kofi Cockburn (Kingston, Jamaica) announced on his social media accounts Friday that he will return to Illinois for the 2021-22 season.
Cockburn is the first center in Illinois history to achieve consensus All-America status, averaging 17.7 points and 9.5 rebounds while making 65.4% from the field during his dominant sophomore campaign in 2020-21.
He ranked third in the nation with 16 double-doubles and fourth nationally in field goal percentage while leading the NCAA with 78 dunks.
Cockburn helped Illinois to a 24-7 record, including a 16-4 mark in conference play followed by the Big Ten Tournament championship and No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Illini set school records with 19 victories against Big Ten competitors and six wins over top-10 teams. Illinois ended the year at No. 2 in the final AP poll, the second-highest in program history.
