Illinois center Kofi Cockburn plans to forgo his remaining three years of eligibility and enter the NBA draft, he announced Tuesday in a post on his Instagram account.
The 7-foot, 290-pound Cockburn won Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors after averaging 13.3 points and 8.8 rebounds with several dominating performances. He figured to be a key piece of coach Brad Underwood's 2020-21 team.
It has been a rough offseason for the Illini, who were poised to make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013 before postseason play was canceled because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.
Sophomore guard Alan Griffin announced March 24 he would transfer, and he confirmed Saturday that he is headed to Syracuse. Little-used sophomore wing Tevian Jones also has entered the transfer portal.
And Illinois also could lose sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmu, the team's leading scorer, who also is considering leaving early for the NBA.
Cockburn, a native of Jamaica, played high school basketball at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia and Christ the King in New York. He recorded 12 double-doubles this season and averaged 1.4 blocked shots.
He thanked coaches, teammates and fans in his Instagram announcement.
"Ever since I began playing basketball, a fire has been lit inside me which I knew I had to pursue to the fullest extent," the post read. "With that being said, I have decided to declare for the 2020 NBA draft. Embarking on this new journey is something I have always dreamt of and I have a special love for everyone who's helped me get there."
