Kofi Cockburn in the transfer portal

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#102      
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sharpshot16 said:
If Kofi thinks the fanbase turned on him he gone - he cares about NIL $$ that comes from fans LIKING him.

Twitter's hard to read right now.
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Well the fans will turn around real quick if he stays. But that aside...

I'm fascinated by players that transferred who try to market to a previous fanbase. Example: Alfonso Plummer asked on IG if fans would buy a shirt of him making the 3 that broke the PAC12 record... and most probably wouldn't. Transferring burned a bridge and while I don't blame him for shooting his shot, his marketing efforts should be geared to his new home
 
#103      
NJJ871
illini0440 said:
Everyone freaking relax. And chill out on Twitter too.
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Life Drowning GIF
 
#106      
217sports
2qtslow said:
OA recruited Kofi.
OA made Kofi into a much better player.
Kentucky can (probably) offer Kofi more NIL money than can the Beloved.

So, it probably makes sense for him to go to Kentucky.

It still hurts.

A lot.
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UIllinois business’ can offer just as much NIL as Kentucky. That’s not an issue
 
#111      
BMoreIllini
I'm really disappointed too, but why wouldn't he do this? It makes so much sense from a business/"getting to the league" perspective. There's no penalty for transferring and we lost our big man coach (OA). Who, currently on our staff, is most qualified to coach him up to an NBA level? Is that person more qualified than a big man coach at another program?

There's no requirement for Kofi to be loyal to Illinois, he's not from here and we were surprised when he came here in the first place, I have to think OA was a big reason why he committed here. I also don't think he's trying to maximize NIL money, he's more concerned about getting paid in the NBA long term.

I understand why people here are upset (myself included), but loyalty and legacy don't pay the bills. There are millions of dollars on the line and he needs to make the decision that's best for him. Relax and let things play out, for better or worse.
 
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#112      
spillini
Sucks for IL but this is a smart play by Kofi. There's little downside risk for him. If he comes back, all the salty fans will come around as soon as he throws down his first dunk of the season. NIL changes everything and people need to start looking at CBB more like the NBA where business moves are made to maximize "opportunities". Try not to get overly emotional about it.
 
#113      
RockfordIllini
I guess I will be the first to rationalize.

Up until maybe 1-2 days ago we all thought Kofi was gone. And it seems like the roster has been perfectly constructed to showcase Belo with shooters galore.

Kofi was and is so physically dominating in the college game we almost had to play through him, and would if he were to come back. While that’s a great option, I’m not sure it optimizes this roster. He almost never passed out to shooters and he would take away usage from Belo. And, as dominant as Kofi is, his poor FT shooting and lack of lateral quickness are real weaknesses that can be exploited.

Which is to say, I’m not sure you can build a F4/NC team with Kofi as the centerpiece. By and large, games are won now based on guard play and not on dominating on the interior.

I think we may actually be better off with a more mobile, athletic big that can switch 1-5, protect the rim and catch lobs from Belo. We got one in Payne, we just need one more. And there’s lots of guys who fit that bill available.

The kid from Memphis or Garcia from Marquette fit the bill, but I think we could do almost as well with a “second tier” target. Biggest traits are ability to switch protect the rim and rim run,

Don’t get me wrong I love Kofi and would welcome him back. I also understand the business nature of his decision should he go elsewhere. But the roster is constructed for Belo to shine and find shooters. Right now I think the roster is one solid big short of being really good, and honestly Kofi probably doesn’t best fit what we need from that role. JMHO of course.
 
#114      
drsmitty74
spillini said:
Sucks for IL but this is a smart play by Kofi. There's little downside risk for him. If he comes back, all the salty fans will come around as soon as he throws down his first dunk of the season. NIL changes everything and people need to start looking at CBB more like the NBA where business moves are made to maximize "opportunities". Try not to get overly emotional about it.
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🤣🤣🤣🤣

You new here?
 
#115      
LvilleILL
Talked to a couple of different people about this. The likeliest place for him to come back to is Illinois, he is more using the transfer portal as leverage from what I have been told. There is other factors at play about if he could even play in college this coming season. Everyone stop freaking out, if he comes back to college I would be surprised if he doesn't play at Illinois next season.
 
#117      
Fanview
BMoreIllini said:
I'm really disappointed too, but why wouldn't he do this? It makes so much sense from a business/"getting to the league" perspective. There's no penalty for transferring and we lost our big man coach (OA). Who, currently on our staff, is most qualified to coach him up to an NBA level? Is that person more qualified than a big man coach at another program?

Kofi has no reason to be loyal to Illinois, he's not from here and we were surprised when he came here in the first place, I have to think OA was a big reason why he committed here.

I understand why people here are upset (myself included), but loyalty and legacy doesn't pay the bills and there are millions of dollars on the line and he needs to make the decision that's best for him.
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Not to mention... him transferring doesn't mean his connection to Illinois is gone. I think that's a deeply rooted fear people have. Kenny Battle transferred to Illinois and has a close bond with both schools. Kofi was here for 2 years. He has a lot of memories here. None of that goes away
 
#118      
WhiteHorseWings
LvilleILL said:
Talked to a couple of different people about this. The likeliest place for him to come back to is Illinois, he is more using the transfer portal as leverage from what I have been told. There is other factors at play about if he could even play in college this coming season. Everyone stop freaking out, if he comes back to college I would be surprised if he doesn't play at Illinois next season.
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What does that mean? Leverage for an illegal payment?
 
#120      
spillini
Sucks for IL but this is a smart play by Kofi. There's little downside risk for him. If he comes back, all the salty fans will come around as soon as he throws down his first dunk of the season. NIL changes everything and people need to start looking at CBB more like the NBA where business moves are made to maximize "opportunities". Try not to get overly emotional about it.
drsmitty74 said:
🤣🤣🤣🤣

You new here?
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I know, it's like telling the dog "don't eat that"
 
#124      
BlabDunkAnd1
I don't get what all the Kofi negativity is about. I don't blame him at all. Players wants $$$, OA left for UK. Kofi developed under OA. I didn't think he was coming back here after OA and GB left. I didn't necessarily expect him at UK either--and hopefully he won't--, but with the combine + NIL, everything changed.
 
#125      
soupy17
LvilleILL said:
Talked to a couple of different people about this. The likeliest place for him to come back to is Illinois, he is more using the transfer portal as leverage from what I have been told. There is other factors at play about if he could even play in college this coming season. Everyone stop freaking out, if he comes back to college I would be surprised if he doesn't play at Illinois next season.
Click to expand...
giphy.gif
 
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