Ones that got away: Sampson, Bird, Hansbrough, Zion … now Kofi Cockburn?

Should Ralph Sampson, Larry Bird, Tyler Hansbrough and Zion Williamson move over? With Kofi Cockburn’s announcement Friday that he will remain at Illinois, he might join those players at the top of Kentucky’s the-ones-that-got-away list.

Time will tell if Cockburn deserves a mention in that company. But as speculation of a transfer from Illinois to Kentucky intensified, he was described as the kind of elite college player that does not come around often.

For example, Cockburn (pronounced “CO-burn”) was compared to one of the most imposing big men in college basketball history.

“His size reminds you a little bit of Shaq,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said in reference to Shaquille O’Neal, the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in 1991 and 1992. “He’s not quite that big and not quite that strong, but he’s not far off from being that strong. He’s an incredible specimen.”

Illinois listed Cockburn at 7-foot, 285 pounds last season. LSU listed O’Neal at 7-1, 286 as a freshman and 7-1, 294 as a junior.

Jon Crispin, who worked for the Big Ten Network before moving to ESPN, also described Cockburn as ultra imposing on the basketball court.

“He’s one of the most dominant ‘bigs’ you’ll ever find in college basketball,” Crispin said.

Ohio State Coach Chris Holtmann vouched for that.

“Kofi is an enormous presence who is the best roller and finisher in college basketball off ball screens,” Holtmann texted. “He is extremely physical and requires a double team on most occasions.”

‘Twin towers effect’

Jay Bilas suggested the tandem of Kofi Cockburn and Oscar Tshiebwe would have translated into intimidation times two for Kentucky.

“That would be quite a twin towers effect,” Bilas said as speculation of Cockburn transferring to UK swirled. “And there wouldn’t be a lot of people challenging the rim with them in there.”

Tshiebwe has been billed as providing a physical presence that Kentucky lacked last season. That might have raised the question of Cockburn and Tshiebwe getting in each other’s way.

The two might not always be on the court together, said Bilas before adding, “but to have two players of that caliber, that can block shots and rebound and protect the lane, you’re not going to find many teams that have that.”

Now, Kentucky won’t.

Test waters

In mid-April, Kofi Cockburn announced that he would be entering his name in this year’s NBA Draft.

“Basketball took me places that I wouldn’t dare dream of as a boy,” he posted on social media. “It taught me lessons in life. The NBA has been a lifelong dream of mine, and I am ready to go to the next level.”

He subsequently withdrew his name from the NBA Draft, which led to speculation that he might transfer.

Jon Crispin saw the pre-draft experience as a bonus because it gave Cockburn a better sense of how he must improve.

“If he transferred without getting real feedback, I’d be concerned,” Crispin said. “But the fact he’s coming back, he knows exactly what he’s got to show to be a lottery pick.”

Crispin said Cockburn must improve his agility and skills away from the basket on both offense and defense.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see him drop 15 pounds,” Crispin said.

Nick Richards redux?

Kofi Cockburn grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, the same hometown as former UK player Nick Richards. Like Richards, Cockburn came relatively late to basketball. Soccer and track were his sporting loves.

An older brother, Nagash Cockburn, began playing basketball at age 20 and became good enough to make the Jamaican national team. Noting that Kofi was already his height of 6-7 at age 14, Nagash encouraged his younger brother to turn to basketball sooner rather than later.

“I’m like, ‘Yo, how many tall soccer players do you know? And you’re not Usain Bolt,’” Nagash told The Chicago Tribune in 2019. “I wasn’t trying to discourage him, but I had to be real. I saw a future he could create for himself.”

It did not take long for Kofi to gain a greater appreciation for basketball.

“I realized right away, this is really a beautiful sport,” he told The Chicago Tribune. “If you give your best, good things can happen.”

When Kofi was 11, his mother, Dorothy Wray, came to the United States to work as a certified nursing assistant.

Cockburn received a scholarship through a Jamaican organization to attend Christ the King High School in Queens, N.Y.

“I had that mindset: I’ll do it for my family. I’ll do it for my mom,” he told The Chicago Tribune. “It motivated me to get past anything.”

‘A throwback’

Kofi Cockburn transferred to Oak Hill Academy for his senior year.

“He’s a throwback,” Oak Hill Coach Steve Smith said of Cockburn’s low-post game. “He’s a five-man the way five-men used to play.”

Smith, an Asbury graduate, said Cockburn also has a winning personality.

“I really like Kofi,” Smith said. “As big as he is, he’s kind of a gentle guy when you’re off the court. (He) likes to joke. Players all liked him.”

Antigua connection

Kofi Cockburn credited Orlando Antigua for convincing him to sign with Illinois. Of course, Antigua rejoined Kentucky’s staff as an assistant coach this offseason, which fueled speculation of a transfer to UK.

“Coach O recruited me for years and we developed a great connection,” Kofi told The Chicago Tribune.

It did not take Cockburn long to make an impression. In the seventh game, he broke the Illinois record for rebounds by a freshman when he grabbed 17 against The Citadel. That bested the previous record set by Deon Thomas 28 years earlier.

Cockburn was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year for 2019-20. Then in helping Illinois get a No. 1 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, he was named first-team all-conference and a second-team All-American.

‘Overcoached’

The New York Times published a story on July 11 about former Milwaukee players rooting for the Bucks in this year’s NBA Finals. The story focused on the two leading lights on the Bucks’ 1971 championship team: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson.

A question about current Bucks’ star Giannis Antetokounmpo led Abdul-Jabbar to seemingly reference what’s called position-less basketball these days.

“He’s so unusual,” Abdul-Jabbar said of Antetokounmpo. “He can play all five positions. Seeing how he’s developed as a player made me think that when I was in high school and college that the game was over-coached. He just went to the court and figured it all out for himself instead of being forced to specialize, he developed his versatility without being told about limitations.”

Proving a point

Draymond Green, an undersized power forward at 6-6, is on this year’s U.S. Olympic team. A native of Saginaw, Mich., he seriously considered Kentucky before committing to Michigan State.

In a recent teleconference, he recalled the doubters who questioned whether he was good enough to play in the NBA.

“Who will I guard was the question going into the (2012 NBA) draft,” he said. “That stuck with me. I wanted them to eat those words.”

Mission accomplished. Green, who was a second-round pick, has played on three NBA championship teams with the Golden State Warriors and was named 2017 Defensive Player of the Year.

No fans

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, fans will not be allowed to attend the Tokyo Olympics.

Draymond Green saw a bright side.

“We’re all used to it,” he said of the absence of fans. Then he added, “Normally, the whole crowd is cheering against us. It may help us.”

Happy birthday

To Brennan Canada. He turned 21 on Thursday. … To former Vanderbilt player Luke Kornet. He turned 26 on Thursday. … To Antwain Barbour. He turned 39 on Saturday. … To Tennessee Coach Rick Barnes. He turned 67 on Saturday. … To retired broadcaster Verne Lundquist, who called the epic UK-Duke game in the 1992 NCAA Tournament (“There’s the pass to Laettner. … puts it up. … YES!!!”). He turned 81 on Saturday. … To Bam Adebayo. He turns 24 on Sunday (today). … To Derek Anderson. He turns 47 on Sunday (today). … To John Pelphrey. He turns 53 on Sunday (today). … To Tamika Catchings. She turns 42 on Wednesday.