Preseason First-Team All-American. Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year.
The man with those accolades is Kofi Cockburn, who will return to action for the Illini and make his season debut Monday after missing the first three games of the season due to a suspension issued by the NCAA.
While Cockburn did play in both of the Illini’s exhibition games — averaging 17.5 points and seven boards — this will be Cockburn’s first official game action since putting up 21 points and 9 rebounds in Illinois’ stunning loss to Loyola-Chicago in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.