Texas Basketball: 3 transfer portal targets coming to the forefront in July
Kofi Cockburn, C
About the most high-profile name in the transfer portal at the moment is the former Illinois Fighting Illini star 7-foot and 285-pound sophomore center Kofi Cockburn. Putting his name in the transfer portal earlier this week, Cockburn also looks like he will go through the NBA Draft scouting process. But that could be something he does before returning to college at another landing spot heading into next season.
Cockburn also participated in the festivities at the 2021 NBA Draft Combine in Chicago last week. He showed out well, but it’s hard to ignore the insane physical tools that he brings to the table.
Speaking of an embarrassment of riches, there’s not much better that it could get for Beard and the Longhorns in the frontcourt rotation than getting a commitment from Cockburn out of the portal to add to the current big men on hand. Cockburn was one of the most impressive frontcourt presences in the entire country last season for the Fighting Illini.
The consensus All-American and All-Big Ten First-Team selection Cockburn was a true force to be reckoned with down low for head coach Brad Underwood and the Fighting Illini last season. He averaged 17.7 points per game, 9.5 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks. And Cockburn shot 65.4 percent from the field and 55.3 percent from the free-throw line.
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Cockburn is going to have a ton of interest coming from different top-tier programs around the college hoops landscape moving forward. But Texas could be foolish not to at least look into what interest Cockburn has in coming to the Forty Acres. This would really be one heck of a final transfer portal big splash addition for Beard and the Longhorns this summer.