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Key transfer target for Illinois hoops reportedly withdraws from NBA Draft
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Illinois has had a busy offseason after a strong season under head coach Brad Underwood, and the Illini are still hoping to land one key transfer over the summer.
Despite having a strong performance and securing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Illini have dealt with multiple assistants leaving and some key players entering the transfer portal. The latest entry came from star big man Kofi Cockburn.
On Tuesday, Cockburn reportedly made the decision to withdraw from the NBA Draft and will be returning to college for at least one more season. However, where Cockburn plays is still up in the air. He is still in the transfer portal with one report linking Cockburn to a potential move to Kentucky.
Fortunately, Illinois is still in the running for key transfer Dawson Garcia out of Marquette. According to Jon Rothstein, Garcia is also withdrawing from the draft and has a final four list of schools he is considering.
That list consists of Illinois, Arizona, UNC, or a return to Marquette.
Dawson Garcia tells me that he is withdrawing from the 2021 NBA Draft and will return to college next season.
Garcia also tells me that he is making a decision soon on his plans for next season.
Final List:
North Carolina
Arizona
Illinois
Marquette— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 6, 2021
Garcia was a freshman this past season and was one of the top recruits for the class of 2020. He was a four-star power forward and the No. 37 prospect nationally on the 247 Sports Composite Rankings.
In 27 games (all starts) as a freshman, Garcia averaged 13 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 48% from the floor.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.