Calipari had built this team with the idea of picking up the tempo, spreading the floor and getting shots up from the perimeter, and with the Illinois center being a back-to-the-basket anchor in the paint who thrives with the ball in his hands, it went against everything the UK head coach strived to do this offseason to modernize the offense. Internally, there is a belief the hard reset within the program was a great success.Īs a result, there were concerns of any late addition to the program – yes, even Duren to a lesser extent – but specifically with Cockburn and his fit on the roster. Sources inside the program constantly raved about the team’s positive synergy and the night-and-day difference in chemistry from last season compared to now, along with the overall confidence in the roster in terms of skill, production and style of play. On the other side, though, Kentucky was coming off a year where team chemistry was a serious issue that plagued the roster from the start, something John Calipari went out of his way to fix this offseason through a major roster overhaul that included seven new additions. The All-American big was planning to take a visit to Lexington before the end of July, with a tentative commitment date to follow shortly after. Numerous sources close to and directly involved with Cockburn’s recruitment told KSR at the time that UK was at the top of the priority list and the 7-foot, 285-pound center entered the portal specifically to speak with the Kentucky coaching staff.
Cockburn had genuine interest in the Kentucky basketball program, going out of his way to tell reporters UK was a “serious option” and new assistant coach Orlando Antigua was the reason he signed with Illinois in the first place. 1 high school recruit in America, respectively – became available and contact with both prospects ramped up, opening the door for one final home run swing before calling it an offseason.īoth players had polarizing recruitments - or lack thereof, depending on who you talk to. Factor in the three highly-touted freshmen the program signed in TyTy Washington, Daimion Collins and Bryce Hopkins to round out its 2021 recruiting class, it was a roster most fans were ready to throw a bow on top of while the countdown to Big Blue Madness began.Īnd then Kofi Cockburn and Jalen Duren – a second-team All-American at Illinois and the No. Once Davion Mintz announced his welcomed return to Lexington for a sixth and final year of eligibility back in July, the Kentucky men’s basketball roster sat at 12 scholarship players, one that included 13,385 minutes, 5,203 points, 1,917 rebounds, 1,132 assists and 543 3-pointers in total returning production at the collegiate level.
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