B1G Release
Champaign, ILL. -- Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (Kingston, Jamaica/Oak Hill Academy-Va.) has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week, the conference office announced on Monday. He earns the honor after averaging 13.5 points and 9.0 rebounds with 1.5 blocks in a pair of road victories.
This is now the seventh Big Ten Freshman of the Week accolade for Cockburn, just 12 weeks into the 2019-20 season. He expands his school record for the most honors by an Illini, dating back to 2010-11 when the league began honoring a weekly outstanding freshman performer. It is tied for the second-most Freshman of the Week awards by any Big Ten player, and the most since 2014-15 when Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell was also honored seven times during the season.
Big Ten Freshman of the Week
Kofi Cockburn, Illinois
C, 7-0, 290, Kingston, Jamaica, Oak Hill Academy (Va.)
• Averaged 13.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in a pair of road wins
• Helped Illinois extend the Big Ten's longest winning streak to six during a memorable week that saw the Illini win in West Lafayette for the first time in 11 seasons and win in Ann Arbor for the first time in 10 years
• Recorded eighth double-double of the season in victory at Purdue, tallying game highs of 22 points and 15 rebounds with three blocks
• Eight double-doubles ranks third nationally among freshmen and extends his school freshman record
• Had five points and three rebounds in win at Michigan
• Leads all B1G freshmen in scoring (14.5 ppg) and rebounding (9.4 rpg) on the season
