NCAA Basketball: 10 teams that should target Illinois transfer Kofi Cockburn

St. John’s Red Storm

Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, Cockburn moved to Queens, New York in 2014. So if there’s a desire to move back to “home”, a program such as St. John’s a former contender two years ago for his services, would be a good option. The team has struggled at the center position for the past few years but did land Fordham transfer Joel Soriano this offseason.

Of course, Cockburn would be a major upgrade over Soriano, and with the lack of current depth, the former Fordham big man still would get plenty of minutes in the rotation. But if the Red Storm would not only get Cockburn but retained star forward Julian Champagnie as well, they would make a case of being the preseason favorite in the Big East, even over Villanova.

Syracuse Orange

Another “local” option for Cockburn to consider, the Orange and its zone defense would be tremendous with the former Illini big man on board. The center position has been a position of weakness for the program, with Marek Dolezaj a solid offensive player but not ideal to anchor a 2-3 zone inside.

The team currently has the offensively challenged Bourama Sidibe and Jesse Edwards, a former three-star prospect that didn’t play much last season. With this potentially being the last college season for Buddy and Jimmy Boeheim, it may also be curtains for head coach and Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim. With the perimeter loaded and filled with scoring options, adding a star big man in Cockburn would not only solidify their defense inside but give them a legit weapon to balance out the lineup and be near impossible to defend as a unit.