Illinois announced on Wednesday that it will honor the No. 21 jersey of former All-American center Kofi Cockburn during a game next month against UCLA.

Cockburn starred for the Fighting Illini from 2019-22, and on Feb. 11 he’ll see his jersey raised to the rafters at State Farm Center in Champaign. Illinois will celebrate Cockburn’s stellar career during what’s sure to be an emotional ceremony.

“I’m extremely excited to return home after such a long time. It feels like decades since I’ve been back to Champaign,” Cockburn said in a statement. “It is an absolute honor to have my jersey raised at State Farm Center, one I couldn’t have received without the support of my staff, my teammates and the No. 1 fan base in all of college basketball.”

Since leaving the Fighting Illini program, Cockburn has played in both Japan and South Korea. The international aspect of Cockburn’s new location meant a date could not be set right away for his jersey ceremony. An Illinois spokesperson said the program had every intention of holding a ceremony for Cockburn when he became available.

Now, that time has finally come for the 25-year-old native of Kingston, Jamaica, who went undrafted after his standout career at Illinois but has carved out a basketball life in faraway locales.

Next month though, Cockburn will be coming home to Champaign to be celebrated.