Fighting Illini junior point guard Ayo Dosunmu and sophomore center Kofi Cockburn have been named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team, as voted on by a media panel covering the league and announced Monday by the conference office. Illinois joins Iowa as the only schools with two players apiece on the 10-player team, while Dosunmu and Iowa's Luka Garza are the only unanimous selections.
These are the latest preseason accolades for the pair of Illini standouts. Dosunmu is on the Bob Cousy Award Watch List for the second straight year, a first-team All-America pick by CBS Sports and ranked as the nation's No. 2 returning player by Andy Katz. Cockburn, meanwhile, is on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List and the No. 10 returning player by Katz.
2020-21 Preseason All-Big Ten Team
Kofi Cockburn, Illinois
Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois (unanimous)
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana
Luka Garza, Iowa (unanimous)
Joe Wieskamp, Iowa
Aaron Henry, Michigan State
Marcus Carr, Minnesota
Trevion Williams, Purdue
Geo Baker, Rutgers
Nate Reuvers, Wisconsin
2020-21 Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year
Luka Garza, Iowa
AYO DOSUNMU | 2019-20 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
- Illinois Athlete of the Year, becoming the first basketball player to earn the school's top athletic award since Deron Williams in 2005
- First-team All-Big Ten (media & AP)
- USBWA All-District V Team
- Naismith Trophy Midseason Team (Feb. 13)
- Jay Bilas Co-National Player of the Week (Jan. 27)
- Led team and ranked fifth in the B1G in scoring at 16.6 ppg
- Scored at least nine points in all but one game, with 26 double-figure outings and eight 20+ point performances
- Averaged 19.7 points over the final six games, and 18.1 points over his last 15 games
- During his last 15 games, scored at least 15 points 13 times and was the team's leading scorer 10 times
- First Illini player in 20 years to lead the team in scoring in back-to-back seasons as a freshman and sophomore
- Top guard listed in the B1G field goal percentage rankings at 48.4% to stand sixth
- Led team in assists, ranking 11th in B1G with 3.3 apg
- Seventh in the B1G in free throw shooting at 75.5%
KOFI COCKBURN | 2019-20 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
- Big Ten Freshman of the Year (coaches & media) and Big Ten Newcomer of the Year (AP)
- Big Ten All-Freshman Team
- Third-team All-Big Ten (media)
- Illinois Freshman of the Year
- Seven-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, tying the second-most awards in B1G history
- Second on team and 13th in Big Ten in scoring at 13.3 ppg
- Sixth in B1G and fourth among NCAA freshmen in rebounding at 8.8 rpg
- 12 double-doubles, ranking fifth among all freshmen nationally and doubling the previous Illini freshman season record
- Top rebounding freshman in Illini history and No. 5 freshman scorer in school history
- Highest rebounding average (8.8 rpg) and most double-doubles (12) by an Illini player in the last 10 seasons
- Third in B1G and 23rd in NCAA in offensive rebounds (3.5 rpg)
- Shot 53.2% from the field (151-284)
- Led Illini with 44 blocked shots (11th in B1G)
