Soulberries
- University of Illinois
I dunno. The guy in his avatar looks really impressed.
Kofi Cockburn in the transfer portal
- Status
Loyalillini10
- Urbana, IL
JP source = Illinoisloyalty.com
What are Fat Tim's sources saying about Kofi to UK? 
I take it as he is keeping all options on the table. If I were to put myself in his shoes, why wouldn't I at least entertain the idea of going to Kentucky. Weight the pros/cons.
Pros:
1) It's Kentucky...blue blood...guaranteed national attention all the time. Nearly all games will be on ESPN...the network that can't help themselves when it comes to supporting UK, UNC, or Duke. Illinois on the other hand will have at least 50% of games on B1G network. Yeah...I'm going with ESPN.
2) Successful track record getting bigs into the NBA. A recommendation from Cal will go a long way with NBA scouts.
3) Get to be with OA, his mentor, someone that recruited him and made him who he is today
4) Instant national title contenders
5) If any program is going to be able to make the player's trunk issue go away, it's Kentucky.
Cons:
1) You're leaving Illini family and an opportunity to solidify yourself in Illini folklore history. I believe if he leaves, I'm not sure I would care one way or another if his jersey gets hung from the rafters. I mean, good player. Gave us 2/3rds of his college career to us and helped us get to the tourney after so many years of not being there. But with only two years and no loyalty to the university and the fans, it's hard to see much conviction on the fans' part to support him if he does go to Kentucky, even if it is the best decision for him.
2) It's Kentucky, so for big men, they seem to have Sarr still coming back from what I can tell. Worst case he is sharing time with Sarr, but they are two very different players and I'm not sure Cal would look to change between styles too often, so will Kofi be able to play in that system or system-adjacent if they change it up for him a little...who knows.
3) You're stepping into a big unknown when it comes to UK. No guarantees around playing time, system success and what does that mean in terms of Kofi's stats. I definitely see it going down, but by how much, who knows. With so many elite players and potential for Marcus Carr to join (which we know he's a chucker and needs the ball in his hands), Kofi just won't have many chances to do what he can do and translate it to stats. Of course, maybe the pros listed above mitigate this, but maybe not. At Illinois, he'll be playing 30 min and averaging a double double all season long.
Neutral:
1) NIL: I think at either place he'll make money. I think he'd make more at Illinois, but if he thinks his prospects of making it to the NBA are greater with UK, then this point is moot/negative for Illinois because the money difference would be so great, it'd negate any short-term gain. So let's call it neutral.
Whatever his choice is, I hope he's getting the right advice and looking at it from all angles. Good luck to him on making his decision. As a fan it sucks, but he put in the hard work that leads him to making a choice between great and great! So kudos to him.
There are plenty of other players that have hedged their bets the way Kofi has done. Why, I am do not know - have not researched the topic
Having said that it will sting if Kofi were to depart for another school. And, as much as he has done for this program - and to be certain he has done a great deal, I would not like to see his # up in the rafters. IMHO, in the era of NIL, etc, schools need to protect their brand as much as the players need to protect theirs. As much as I think that Kofi has to do what is good/right for himself, so does UoI. In fact, to protect the UoI brand, I do not think UoI should even think of his number being retired, etc. Just wish him the best (IF he leaves) and move on
As an aside, I think the luster of that hallo around Kofi's head has already faded some. ??????
Having said that it will sting if Kofi were to depart for another school. And, as much as he has done for this program - and to be certain he has done a great deal, I would not like to see his # up in the rafters. IMHO, in the era of NIL, etc, schools need to protect their brand as much as the players need to protect theirs. As much as I think that Kofi has to do what is good/right for himself, so does UoI. In fact, to protect the UoI brand, I do not think UoI should even think of his number being retired, etc. Just wish him the best (IF he leaves) and move on
As an aside, I think the luster of that hallo around Kofi's head has already faded some. ??????
With Curbelo feeding Kofi the ball, he will be a strong contender for POTY. I don't see anyone at UK willing to dish it off to him with the same frequency or passing skills.
I read this to mean that many people think that if he were to leave Illinois the only place he would go would be Kentucky.
Maybe Kofi feels that Kentucky (Antigua) could help develop him more into the player he needs to be too thrive in the NBA.
The reality is, Kofi can do that anywhere. Underwood would love for him to add a 15 footer, increase his free throw percentage, and pass the ball more. Those things are on him.
UK also has Oscar T. Their front court is much more crowded than ours.
I’d bet he’s correct.
It wouldn't be a good decision if he's splitting time. I think he stays and we're all going nuts for no reason....shouldn't we know part of it on the 7th?
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Rumor has it Kofi will soon be boarding an umarked, black helicopter.
If Kofi stays, he could play 40 minutes a game for us if he wanted. I get it's complicated but this just sucks if he leaves.
Who were the people convinced that OA was coming back. Virtually no one is my recollection.
With the hotdog vendor and GI0.
Just out of curiosity, what other players have hedged their bets like this and how many of them have ended up returning to their original schools? I really want to believe the optimistic takes and would love to hear some examples that help me do so.
Many people were very optimistic when it was reported that we were going to make him the highest paid assistant In College basketball.
I don't understand this take. If you were going to UI for computer science and MIT said hey guy, we want you at MIT, most people wouldn't hesitate going to a place that would boost their career. Professors and other students wouldn't worry about your legacy.
It sucks to lose him, if he goes, but I feel what could have been a death knell for many programs has been navigated extremely well by BU. Losing 3 ACs and one, maybe two AAs, and a highly regarded freshman that has started every game for you after an early exit from the tourny.
And this take presumes UK is the MIT in the scenario. I think there’s a strong possibility his NIL opportunities have the highest ceiling in Champaign, and there are a lot of guys that need to get up shots at UK with only one rock to share. A neurotic, rabid, starving fanbase like ours is the perfect customer base to return on Kofi’s investment. UK’s is more of an unknown with respect to how their fans would embrace Kofi from a NIL standpoint.
Not the best comparison (CS) UI and MIT are pretty comparable for CS.
That aside though - I think a better comparison would be:
You've been part of a leading research at UI and would cement yourself as a legend there. But you leave for MIT. That's a lot closer to the situation. This isn't as simple as leaving for a blue blood though. Kofi would be leaving a place that he's established a brand and arguably may make more from NIL. I don't have the data for which school could make him more, but I definitely see the argument for Illinois.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
I thought we'd have a fighting chance (upon that news), but it was far from certain.
All I see is an empty and meaningless prediction: IF Kofi pulls out of the draft and IF he doesn't come back to Illinois THEN he is going to another university. That's a pretty safe assumption.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Yeah, complete nothingburger.
skyIdub
Winged Warrior
- Status