CHAMPAIGN — Kofi Cockburn scored 16 of his game-high 23 points at the rim in Illinois’ win against Wisconsin.
Literally at the rim.
Trayce Jackson-Davis dunked on Cockburn earlier in the week.
Cue the Michael Jordan “Last Dance” meme because the Illini big man took that personally.
Cockburn’s eight dunks against Wisconsin pushed his season total to 40. He trails only Western Kentucky’s Charles Bassey, who’s got the national lead at 43. Cockburn’s a bit more efficient, though, with just two misses to Bassey’s five.
While several of Saturday’s dunks were simply Cockburn using a little space to abuse the rim — and Wisconsin — they also showed some of the growing versatility in his game.
Cockburn executed his drop step perfectly, going to his left no less, for an easy dunk against Wisconsin big man Nate Reuvers.
Finishing an alley oop from Ayo Dosunmu exemplified that duo’s ability to slice up the Wisconsin defense in pick-and-roll actions all game.
The Badgers couldn’t handle Illinois’ 7-foot, 285-pound sophomore center.
“If someone stops Kofi, it’s himself,” Dosunmu said. “The only way someone can stop him is if he’s missing shots. No one physically can stop him. He’s too big, too powerful. He has too much in his arsenal.
“When I see him on the break, it would be a selfish player for me to not look and throw the ball to him. He’s shooting (67) percent. He’s a very unstoppable force. I’m going to incorporate that more. That’s a valuable weapon that can help us get to where we need to.”
Cockburn’s double-double against Wisconsin — he added a game-high 14 rebounds to his 23 points — was his 13th of the season. Only Austin Peay’s Terry Taylor has more, with the Governors’ forward securing his 13th on Saturday after Cockburn and then his 14th in a Monday loss at UT Martin.
Cockburn started the 2020-21 season with three consecutive double-doubles. Probably should have given the opponents and their lack of anyone matching Cockburn’s size and physicality.
Then Baylor bottled up the Illinois big man. Just seven points and four rebounds. He bounced back, at least from a scoring standpoint, against Duke and Missouri before Big Ten play started.
That was Cockburn’s declaration that this season was going to be different. He dropped a 33-point, 13-rebound output in Illinois’ blowout win against Minnesota. The first of 10 double-doubles in 12 conference games heading into Friday’s 8 p.m. rescheduled game at Nebraska.
“We haven’t seen the inconsistencies,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. “His motor has been really, really good. His confidence has probably never been higher. We forget he’s a sophomore and relatively inexperienced in the game. Now he’s gaining confidence that he’s seen a lot — just kind of about everything people could throw at him.
“His teammates have a lot of confidence in him and know where to get him the ball and how to get him the ball. I think it’s him, but it’s also, as a collective unit, our team is doing a great job of finding him.”
Dosunmu was quick to point out that Cockburn’s repertoire of post moves has only grown in the last year. A film review of last year’s game against Wisconsin before facing the Badgers last weekend was telling.
“Kofi, man, he works so hard,” Dosunmu said. “If you see him shooting left hand hooks, it’s crazy. We were watching the film of the Wisconsin game last year, and he had a chance to shoot a left-hand hook, and he missed it very bad. If see him now, left hand, right hand, drop step dunk. It’s crazy the amount of work he put in.”
Cockburn’s slightly more nuanced offensive game isn’t his only point of growth. His dominant post presence is a boon for the Illini. But so is his expanded leadership role — particularly when it comes to the other big men on the roster.
“I think the biggest thing that’s helped this team a lot is his voice,” Illinois senior guard Trent Frazier said. “He’s more vocal now. He’s becoming one of the guys that speaks up a lot. He brings that energy every day, helping the younger guys .. getting them better, pushing them.”
Cockburn’s honed his own skills in the process. He goes at his teammates in practice. The dominance he’s shown at Ubben Basketball Complex is now translating more consistently to game action at State Farm Center.
Dosunmu and Frazier agree on one item at this stage of the season. Cockburn is “the best big in the country.”
“Tearing the rim off,” Frazier continued. “Blocking shots. Being a big presence on defensive ball screens. Just being a complete monster. That’s the energy and effort we need from him every night.”
from WordPress https://ift.tt/3jD9sb9
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment