Breaking: Kofi Cockburn withdraws from the NBA Draft

All-American big man Kofi Cockburn intends to withdraw his name from the NBA Draft and return to college. The news was first reported by Andrew Slater from The Atlantic.

Cockburn just recently through his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal and will now consider all of his college options, including a potential return to Illinois.

After a stellar season in which he was named a consensus second team All-American, Cockburn originally through his name into the NBA Draft back in April. He joined star guard Ayo Dosunmu in looking to move on to professional basketball.

As a sophomore, Cockburn averaged 17.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game while shooting 65.4% from the floor. He and Dosunmu led Illinois to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament last season. He was a finalist for the Wooden Award and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award.

Cockburn was invited to participate in the NBA G-League Elite Camp, where he worked out in front of NBA scouts. He failed to earn an invitation to the NBA Draft Combine, and feedback indicated that he was unlikely to be taken in the Draft, which is set for July 29.

"I think I'm ready for the next level, but I wasn't happy with the input I was getting from NBA teams," Cockburn told ESPN ahead of Wednesday's NCAA deadline for players to withdraw from the NBA draft and maintain college eligibility. "I didn't want to settle. I'm going to return for another year, raise my game and improve my draft stock."

Last week, Cockburn surprisingly through his name into the portal, while keeping his name in the NBA Draft.

The news of Cockburn entering the portal was a shock. He was widely expected to either remain in the Draft or return to Illinois for his junior campaign. His decision to open up the option to transfer comes on the heels of freshman guard Adam Miller transferring to LSU back May.

Head Brad Coach Underwood's squad has undergone a major roster shakeup during the offseason. The Illini also lost star Ayo Dosunmu, who's expected to be taken in the first round of the NBA Draft, and big man Giorgi Bezhanishvili.

The Illini did add Florida transfer Omar Payne in the offseason and they continue to pursue Marquette transfer Dawson Garcia, who is reportedly also considering North Carolina, Arizona, or a possible return to Marquette.

Kentucky has been widely reported as a possible destination, and Cockburn confirmed that to ESPN on Tuesday.

Assistant coach Orlando Antigua, who left Illinois to join John Calipari's staff, recruited Cockburn out of Oak Hill Academy and was instrumental in his development at Illinois. His departure from Illinois is one of the main reasons Cockburn entered the transfer portal.

The Wildcats already have highly-regarded center Oscar Tshiebwe and it's not clear how the two would coexist. Still, that hasn't stopped Kentucky from pursuing Cockburn.

Kentucky is also a contender for Jalen Duren, who will reclassify to 2021 and possibly play in college this coming season. Duren was the No. 1 ranked player in the class of 2022 according to Rivals.com. His preferred options include Kentucky, Memphis, Miami, the G League and the Australia-based National Basketball League.

Other recent buzz for Cockburn has surrounded LSU, but that died down and this does appear to be a fight between Illinois and Kentucky. The Illini staff has put on the full court press to try to bring Cockburn back to Champaign, but he hasn't yet tipped his hand.

"I'm pretty much open," Cockburn told ESPN. "There's a possibility I return to Illinois and a possibility I don't. I want to make a quick decision as soon as possible. I don't want to go back and forth. I'm going to take some visits, but I'm not sure where."

Should he return to Illinois, Cockburn would likely elevate the Illini into the preseason top 10 and would be the odd-on favorite for Big Ten Player of the Year and candidate for national player of the year.

Cockburn is reportedly setting up campus visits and is expected to make a final decision soon.