I don't think it's pre-existing agreement, moreso Kofi going to UK may be a poison pill to OA.
Kofi Cockburn in the transfer portal
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Which school would give him the best chance of dev his mid-range and passing skills?
Big Jack
- Decatur
Thanks for adding clarity to this situation unfortunately many on here can't read the tea leaves and love the conspiracy theories. SMDH!!!
chrisRunner7
- Spokane, WA
Yeah, I was just wondering about that. This may be 90% about NIL money but I am sure Kofi wants to be hear that the offense will allow him to shoot some jump shots and/or three-pointers.
Weirdly I’m not worried about Kentucky....I’m worried about LSU. Kofi is the closest thing to college Shaq in the last 20 years and I could see Coach “Strong A55 Offer” and LSU boosters making a run at the King trying to recreate the LSU “glory days”....
Plus there could be a push from Mr. Basketball Illinois to get him to team up...
I'm going to take a deep breath and trust our guys @illini4040 @LvilleILL and others......
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
Meanwhile Hunter Dickinson withdraws from the draft and returns to Michigan. No transfer portal. No drama. This is not the new normal. This is not just what any smart player would do to "keep their options open." This is just Kofi. Time to stop rationalizing.
Homecoming 2019
- Chicago
If he does those things well enough to impress NBA scouts then by all means he can do it right here at Illinois. My guess is he's likely coming back to show off defensively and with better passing ability.
Homecoming 2019
- Chicago
If OA had stayed would Kofi have ever even considered leaving?
I sure hope the "announcement" wouldn't involve Kofi picking between two school's caps.
For who?
Ubermensch
BOOM! Feed my ego.
I'm curious if Dickinson grew up in a third world country.
sacraig
- The desert
I'm not casting aspersions here. Kofi is doing what's best for him and that's fine. As a fan of Illinois basketball I'm disappointed he couldn't find a way to get what he needed and stay here, but my point is that somewhere along the line it appears a disconnect developed between Kofi and the Illinois basketball program that doesn't seem to have happened with other guys like Liddell and Dickenson, so that doesn't bode well for our chances of getting him back.
sacraig
- The desert
Or—and stay with me here because this is complicated—these player are all different people with different backgrounds and different people giving them advice. They were all placed into a new situation and have arrived at different conclusions on what is the most effective means to maximize their NIL value.
Deleted member 747671
D
Guest
I understand both sides on this. Not sure if this is defending or attacking anyone, but that disconnect was probably some combination of losing the entire assistant coaching staff, his best friend/roommate, and the Batman to his Robin. Those are some pretty drastic changes.
For any school that's not the highest bidder...and for fans that like more continuity in their school's roster year to year.
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Ubermensch
BOOM! Feed my ego.
I understand. I'm just saying each guy is different. I can see Kofi leaving. I can see Kofi coming back to Illinois after exploring all his options and maximizing his value. What Dickinson does has nothing to do with what Kofi is doing.
Sure it does. People are talking about maximizing NIL value like it's a well established practice, but it's not. There are a few cases similar to Kofi and it makes perfect sense to look at those.
If indeed Anderson is our AC3, how important is he in the Kofi equation? I mean, besides Kofi looking at $$$$$! He apparently is one of the best trainers for NBA development. Why wouldn't Kofi want to come here?? I mean, besides $$$$$!
sacraig
- The desert
It certainly may be about more than just the NIL dollars. I don't have any insider information and I don't know Kofi or anyone connected with him. I am just saying that this situation is so new that we really don't have a good sense of what is going to be the new normal, and this early in the process, many people will come to different conclusions until some general trends start to emerge.
Otherwise, if the OA situation is the main factor, I think it might be a half empty vs. half full situation (at least related to the relatively little information we all have available). Maybe he's not interested in coming back without OA. Or perhaps he's just not 100% sold on coming back without OA.
No one really knows but Kofi and his confidants. Even the insiders here are only able to relay what they hear from program insiders, and those opinions will, more often than not, have an orange and blue tint to them.
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