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Kofi Cockburn

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Kofi Cockburn
Cockburn with Illinois in 2022
No. 21 – Seoul Samsung Thunders
PositionCenter
LeagueKorean Basketball League
Personal information
Born (1999-09-01) 1 September 1999 (age 25)
Kingston, Jamaica
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight293 lb (133 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeIllinois (2019–2022)
NBA draft2022: undrafted
Playing career2022–present
Career history
2022–2023Niigata Albirex
2023–presentSeoul Samsung Thunders
Career highlights and awards

Kofi Mazeze Cockburn[1] (/ˈkoʊbɜːrn/ KOH-burn;[2] born 1 September 1999) is a Jamaican professional basketball player for the Seoul Samsung Thunders of the Korean Basketball League (KBL). He previously played for the Niigata Albirex of the Japanese B. League. He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Early life

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Cockburn was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and in 2014, moved to Queens, New York, to be with his mother, who had moved to Queens in 2009.[3] In addition to his participation in basketball at a young age, Cockburn also played soccer, cricket, and ran in track and field.[3]

High school career

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Cockburn first enrolled in high school at St. Andrew Technical High in Kingston, Jamaica, then Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village, New York.[4] He played Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for the New York (NY) Rens, and was teammates with his future Illinois teammate Alan Griffin.[5] During the summer of 2018 on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) circuit with the NY Rens, Cockburn averaged 16.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 53.9 percent from the field.[6] Prior to his junior year, Cockburn was selected to participate in the 2017 Basketball Without Borders Americas camp that was held in Nassau, Bahamas.[7] After his junior season, Cockburn was named to the World Team for the 2018 Nike Hoop Summit.[8] For his senior season, Cockburn transferred to Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, where he was teammates with fellow five-star recruits Cole Anthony and Cameron Thomas.[9]

Recruiting

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Prior to his senior high school season at Oak Hill Academy, Cockburn held 26 scholarship offers and narrowed the list of schools he was considering to 12, which included Cincinnati, Florida State, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, LSU, Oregon, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, St. John's, Syracuse and UConn.[10][11] Citing his relationship with Illinois assistant coach Orlando Antigua and the rest of the Illinois coaching staff, Cockburn committed to playing college basketball for Illinois on 6 January 2019.[12][13] Cockburn was a consensus four-star recruit and was considered a top 50 player in the 2019 class.[10][12]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kofi Cockburn
C 		Kingston, Jamaica Oak Hill Academy (VA) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Jan 6, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 88
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 45  247Sports: 54  ESPN: 50
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Illinois 2019 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  • "2019 Illinois Fighting Illini Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 7 January 2019.

College career

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Cockburn (right) with Illinois in 2020

In his debut for Illinois, Cockburn had 10 points and 11 rebounds to help defeat Nicholls 78–70 in overtime.[14] The following game, Cockburn scored 23 points and pulled down 14 rebounds in a 83–71 win over Grand Canyon.[15] Cockburn was named Big Ten player of the week on 25 November after setting a school freshman record for rebounds in a game with 17 to go along with 18 points in a win versus The Citadel.[16] On 11 December 2020, Cockburn had 19 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in a 71–62 victory over fifth-ranked Michigan, Illinois' first win over a top-five program since 2013.[17] At the close of the regular season, Cockburn was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He was selected to the Third Team All-Big Ten by the media and was Honorable Mention All-Conference according to the coaches.[18] As a freshman, Cockburn was Illinois' second-leading scorer and top rebounder, averaging 13.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game while leading the Illini with 1.4 blocks per game. He shot 53.2 percent from the floor and 67.7 percent at the foul line. Following the season, he declared for the 2020 NBA draft.[19] Cockburn announced he was pulling out of the draft on August 1 and returning for his sophomore season.[20]

As a sophomore, Cockburn averaged 17.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, shooting 65.4 percent from the field. He was a Second Team All-American and First Team All-Big Ten selection. Following the season, he declared for the 2021 NBA draft and entered the transfer portal. Cockburn ultimately returned for his junior season at Illinois.[21] He was suspended for the first three games of his junior season due to selling apparel and memorabilia.[22] On 26 November 2021, Cockburn scored a career-high 38 points along with 10 rebounds in a 94–85 win against Texas–Rio Grande Valley.[23] He was named to the First Team All-Big Ten.[24] As a junior, Cockburn averaged 20.9 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. On 20 April 2022, he declared for the 2022 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.[25]

Professional career

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Cockburn went undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft. He then signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Utah Jazz.[26] After his contract wasn't picked up by the Jazz, he signed with Niigata Albirex of the Japanese B. League and played for them in the 2022-2023 season. He left the team after one season.[citation needed] He averaged 19 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.

Cockburn agreed to play for Seoul Samsung Thunders of the Korean Basketball League in South Korea for the 2023-2024 season.[27]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Illinois 31 31 27.4 .532 .000 .677 8.8 .6 .5 1.4 13.3
2020–21 Illinois 31 31 27.0 .654 – .553 9.5 .2 .3 1.3 17.7
2021–22 Illinois 28 28 30.7 .593 – .655 10.6 .8 .8 1.0 20.9
Career 90 90 28.3 .596 .000 .623 9.6 .5 .6 1.2 17.2

References

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  1. ^ "Kofi Mazeze Cockburn - Player Profile". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  2. ^ Daniels, Matt (25 April 2019). "Future Illini on sizable expectations: Bring it on". The News-Gazette. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b Squadron, Alex (21 July 2018). "From Kingston, Jamaica to Oak Hill: Coffee Cockburn Keeps Climbing". Slam. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  4. ^ Braziller, Zach (28 May 2016). "6'11 teen left Jamaica for NY — and now has huge hoops potential". New York Post. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  5. ^ Zagoria, Adam (31 December 2018). "Kofi Cockburn talks Illinois visit, future plans". Zagsblog.com. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  6. ^ Borzello, Jeff (6 January 2019). "Kofi Cockburn chooses Illinois over Pittsburgh, UConn". ESPN. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  7. ^ "BWB Americas Daily Blog From the Bahamas". Kansas City Star. 5 July 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  8. ^ "Kofi Cockburn Added to World Team for 2018 Nike Hoop Summit". USA Basketball. 10 April 2018. Archived from the original on January 8, 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  9. ^ "New York City stars Cole Anthony, Kofi Cockburn transfer to Oak Hill Academy". MaxPreps. 30 July 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Kofi Cockburn". Rivals. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  11. ^ Bedore, Gary (1 August 2018). "KU on another list of 12". Kansas City Star. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  12. ^ a b Richey, Scott (6 January 2019). "Five-star center Cockburn commits to Illinois". The News-Gazette. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  13. ^ Evans, Corey (6 January 2019). "Illinois goes big with five-star Kofi Cockburn". Rivals. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  14. ^ "Feliz helps Illinois hold off Nicholls State 78–70 in OT". ESPN. Associated Press. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  15. ^ "Cockburn leads way as Illinois holds off Grand Canyon 83–71". ESPN. Associated Press. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  16. ^ "Illinois' Cockburn Claims Both Weekly Men's Basketball Honors". BigTen.org. 25 November 2019. Archived from the original on April 8, 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  17. ^ Medcalf, Myron (11 December 2019). "Illinois' Kofi Cockburn accidentally clobbers official while celebrating bucket". ESPN. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  18. ^ "Big Ten Unveils Men's Basketball Postseason Honors on BTN" (Press release). Big Ten Conference. 9 March 2020. Archived from the original on March 9, 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  19. ^ Richey, Scott (7 April 2020). "Illini center Cockburn declares for NBA draft". The News-Gazette. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  20. ^ Borzello, Jeff (1 August 2020). "Kofi Cockburn returning to Illinois for sophomore season". ESPN. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  21. ^ Borzello, Jeff (16 July 2021). "Kofi Cockburn staying with Illinois after entering transfer portal". ESPN. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  22. ^ Borzello, Jeff (1 November 2021). "NCAA suspends Illinois star center Kofi Cockburn 3 games for selling apparel, memorabilia". ESPN. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  23. ^ "Cockburn's career night lifts No. 14 Illinois to 94–85 win". ESPN. Associated Press. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  24. ^ "2021-22 Big Ten Men's Basketball Postseason Honors Announced" (Press release). Big Ten Conference. 8 March 2022. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  25. ^ Boone, Kyle (20 April 2022). "Kofi Cockburn declares for 2022 NBA Draft: Illinois star big man forgoing remaining eligibility to enter pros". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  26. ^ Pontbriand, Alessandra (24 June 2022). "Kofi Cockburn signs undrafted free agent contract with Utah Jazz". Fox Illinois. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  27. ^ Lee, Min-jae (June 20, 2023). "Seoul Samsung signs Kofi Coburn as a foreign player for the new season". Retrieved August 7, 2023.
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