COLUMN: The Kofi 'Monster' is Alive in Champaign

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- It’ll now be extremely difficult for the Illinois coaching staff to downplay the importance of Kofi Cockburn.

Oh, they'll still want to and Illinois head coach Brad Underwood is free to get upset at the media or, more specifically, me for setting the expectations bar at two or three notches higher. However, at 7-feet and 290 pounds, logic suggests it should already be nearly impossible to hide such a figure.

Nonetheless, after getting a double-double in his debut in an Illinois jersey, Kofi Cockburn’s immediate presence and necessity on this roster can’t be overstated after a 83-50 win over Division II Lewis University Friday night.

In his college debut in front of an announced crowd of 12,867, Cockburn calmly strolled through team high in points (16), rebounds (11) and nearly led the Illini in assists with three. That is the stat line of a superstar waiting to happen.

“I don’t think anybody will be able to stop him this year,” Illinois guard Trent Frazier said.

Step one of Cockburn’s development of what many fans hope leads to the Illini basketball brand rebuilding was without a doubt a rousing success.

The former four-star prospect out of Jamaica had Illinois’ first and only four points for the first eight minutes of action. During that early stretch, the Illini guards were clearly trying to balance going to the big man in the post too much.

“He’s a monster down there,” Frazier said. “It’s incredible and I don’t know what he even had tonight. A double-double? He’s been great for us all preseason...it’s amazing to think he’s gotten three times better than when he came in here.”

Against a physically overmatched opponent, Cockburn never once looked out of place, confused or going too fast on either end of the floor in an exhibition game designed to test his readiness for the bright lights of college basketball at a place desperate for regained relevance.

“That’s why we play these games,” Underwood said. “Kofi is very cerebral, no doubt about that.”

In a 33-point exhibition game win, Illinois looked sloppy (18 turnovers) and didn’t make many early perimeter shots (3 of 12 from 3-point range in the first half). Those things will happen in an exhibition opener for any team. Evidence A being Arizona, the Illini’s Nov. 10 opponent in Tucson, was down one at the half and managed to defeat Division II Chico State by only nine.

However, the biggest takeaway from this Friday night game that won’t count in any record book is Illinois got away with 17 worthless minutes from sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmu in the first half and found a way to be up three going into the locker room.

“I don’t ever have to worry about Ayo,” Underwood said. “Tough shooting night but whatever. I know this, the bigger the game, the better he plays and he’s been a rock.”

And Underwood can feel that way about Dosunmu’s miserable night (five points on seven shots and four turnovers) and might be able to feel that way on other nights this season.

Why? Simple.

The project NBA lottery pick finally has help in the form of quoting Frazier “a monster” who might be destined to assert himself early and often into this cornerstone season for Underwood’s Illini program.