On March 6, Kofi Cockburn climbed a ladder on Lou Henson Court with a pair of scissors in his hands so he could snip a piece of the net to commemorate Illinois winning their first Big Ten regular season championship since 2005.
Below him, hundreds of fans broke out in a chant of “one more year, one more year, one more year” as they too celebrated the Illini’s 74-72 victory over No. 24 Iowa to clinch the shared Big Ten title with the Wisconsin Badgers.
Cockburn had contributed 21 points and 14 rebounds on this night and had one of his better defensive performances of the season while being tasked to guard likely NBA lottery pick Keegan Murray and his twin brother Kris on the perimeter, an area that the 7-foot, 295-pound center isn’t best suited defensively.
After the game, in the postgame media availability, Cockburn confessed that he almost joined the hundreds of fans in their “one more year” plea to the All-American, but instead Cockburn just let one of his trademark smiles stretch across his face as he raised his piece of the net towards the ceiling of State Farm Center.
More than a month later, Illini fans are still hoping for that one more year.
In his first three seasons in an Illini uniform, Cockburn has helped contribute to a conference record 47 wins and a Big Ten Tournament title in 2021 to go along with the regular season ring for the 2022 accomplishments. In his career, he’s averaged 17.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.
Last season he was the only player in the country to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds by posting 20.9 points and 10.6 rebounds a game.
One particular group of Illinois fans is doing more than just talking about Cockburn potentially returning for a fourth season.
Louis Margaglione is one of the founding members of Illini Guardians, an organization that strives to “foster relationships between Fighting Illini student-athletes, alumni, fans and the business community through name, image and likeness activities,” according to the organization’s website.
“Around late September, I got a call from one of the co-founders saying he was going to have a meeting in his office in the Wrigley Building with several prominent alumni who have involvement in the past with athletics,” Margaglione said of the founding of Illini Guardians. “We realized that the university didn’t have anything yet, and we said, ‘Well, why not us?’ I mean we have a pretty good idea of the culture of the institution, the type of NIL program it would want.”
Margaglione is a successful businessman who is also a 1992 graduate of Illinois. He’s been a consistent contributor to the I Fund over the years, now he has another avenue in which he can help the sports programs at his alma mater.
Illini Guardians are raising money in hopes of helping Cockburn decide to return to Illinois where he could end his career as the all-time leading scorer and rebounding in program history.
“I think the role that Guardians plays in the NIL world is that we stand ready,” Margaglione said. “We don’t really have a knowledge of a decision he may be making, but we do have some contact to his representatives, we have spoken with them. I think we have a plan that will happen should he want to stay. I think he knows what NIL, the Guardians, are capable of raising in funds to support that effort.”
Margaglione says that Illini Guardians hopes to have about 30% of Cockburn’s NIL earning potential raised should he return to Illinois, an evaluation that is north of six figures. But Cockburn has yet to make an announcement on the future of his basketball career.
“I think all things are possible,” Cockburn said near the end of the Illini’s season. “Like I said, I’m not in a rush. I want to be in the NBA. I want to be a professional basketball, but I’m not in a rush. Right now, as of right now, I think I’m ready.”
Cockburn went through a similar decision last offseason. In 2021, Cockburn declared for the NBA Draft for the second time and was so dead set on going pro that he sold team-issued apparel on the internet. When he later decided to return to Illinois, he eventually had to sit the first three games of the season because of a suspension from the NCAA.
“It’s been wonderful man,” Cockburn said of his decision to return to Illinois for a junior season. “I have no regrets. At the beginning, you start thinking, “Is this really what I need to do?’ You have no doubts. But every year I’ve come back, the past two years, I’ve been really happy with my choice. I want to do whatever I can to be successful. I’m going to do whatever I can to make it where I want to get. But if I need to come back for another year, I’m not in a rush to go anywhere. I’m going to go through it. I’m just going to ride the wave and be where my feet are.”
Name, image and likeness reform in college sports has opened the door for more high-level athletes to return to school. Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe is facing a similar decision to Cockburn this offseason despite winning the Player of the Year Award while leading the Wildcats to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament before suffering a loss to 15 seeded St. Peters in the Round of 64.Gonzaga center Drew Timme also faces a difficult decision.
“Now we have a way that maybe enhances their situation as a college student-athlete through NIL that can be a much better option than potentially the G-League or the European model,” Illinois head coach Brad Underwood said the impact NIL has had on college basketball. “Along the way, that enhances guy’s opportunities. Kofi, in his situation, is very, very close to graduating. It continues to enhance those situations for the student-athlete and not just in a dollars and cents way, but also an academic way. That’s been very positive. Any time we’ve got something out there that helps keeps student-athletes in school, it’s a really good thing.”
Currently, Cockburn is in Jamacia – his native country. But by April 24, Cockburn will have to make a decision regarding his future. Should Cockburn decide to enter the NBA Draft, he won’t be able to return to Champaign again because players are not able to enter and withdraw from the NBA three times.
That’s why NIL could have such a large impact on Cockburn’s decision to return to Illinois because Cockburn’s name doesn’t appear in many NBA Draft conversations, due to his inability to effectively switch ball screens and consistently make baskets from more than five feet away from the rim.
The exact dollars that Cockburn made this past season, are unknown. However, it is believed that he may have made as much as seven figures. By comparison, if Cockburn were to play in the G-League next season he might not make $50,000. Should he sign a two-way contract, he’d make at least $400,000 and if he is on an NBA rookie contract, he’ll be in line to make more than $900,000. But the financial aspect isn’t the only determining aspect for Cockburn.
“I think it’s a different experience just knowing that you could back to school and you have more options,” he said. “You could come back to school and you could enhance your education, you can play college basketball for another year and not have to worry about the outside world and paying bills and stuff like that and you get to make money. I think it’s just those things collectively that definitely made the decisions a little bit easier for you. But I don’t think that NIL part of it, I don’t think the money part of it is any reason for anybody to come back to college. I think it’s all those collective reasons.”
Still, Illini Guardians have already begun isolating funds for Cockburn.
“In this case, for keeping Kofi, we have discussed a way that would allow us to kind of isolate those funds for that purpose, and with that purpose,” Margaglione said. “People would be able to contribute specifically for that purpose.”
Illini Guardians allows for donations on their website, but they also communicate with people who are looking to donate larger sums of money. Once Guardians receives the money and develops a contracted agreement with the student-athlete the athlete is then expected to get involved with community services opportunities.
“We have a collective that allows fans and supporters to get in at a $10 level or a $1,000 level,” Margaglione said. “Then, we also have a different channel for people who are looking to make larger contributions that maybe don’t have a business that they need advertised. Either way, those would probably be contributions of say over $50,000. Those require their own diligence, so it’s kind of a separate process, but nonetheless, however, we take the money in. What we’re going to do on the contract side with any player, with Kofi, or any player, is we will require that the athlete be involved in community service with youth.”
Within the next several days, Illinois will have an answer on what Cockburn’s basketball future holds, and it could greatly alter the fortunes of the Illini in the 2021-22 season.
“Anything can happen in the foreseeable future,” Cockburn said.
