Illinois basketball announces arrival of midseason transfer

Former Baylor center Dain Dainja, who played three games this season, transferred to Illinois for the spring semester, according to a press release. The former four-star recruit redshirted the 2020-21 season but practiced with the Bears on their way to a national championship.

Dainja posted six points and three rebounds in nine minutes for Baylor this season before transferring to Illinois. While he has not produced at a high level yet, he brings plenty upside with his 6-foot-9, 270-pound frame and 7-foot-7 wingspan.

According to the press release, Dain Dainja cannot participate in Illinois games until the 2022-23 season. However, he will be allowed to practice and train with the team immediately while enrolled in classes.

In addition to the announcement from the school, head coach Brad Underwood issued a statement on the midseason move which helps prepare active centers Kofi Cockburn, Omar Payne and Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk.

“Dain is a young man that we evaluated out of high school and loved his skill set at his size,” Underwood said in a statement. “He has great physical attributes, 7-7 length, a strong upper body, and a versatile game to either post up or put the ball on the floor and beat you off the dribble and with his passing. He’s an interior player that you can run offense through. Dain was part of a Baylor team that won an NCAA title, and we’re looking forward to him having a semester of practice with us and a full off-season of work with Fletch prior to suiting up next season.”

Dick Vitale on Kofi Cockburn suspension

Illinois junior Kofi Cockburn served a three-game suspension to begin the season. The suspension is part of the reinstatement process after Cockburn sold institutionally issued apparel and memorabilia in June. Although the sales Cockburn made would be legal under current NIL rules, they occurred before July 1, when the new law passed.

ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale held nothing back, criticizing the NCAA’s decision to suspend Kofi Cockburn Tuesday.

“It’s amazing the NCAA wastes no time with an absurd 3 game suspension on Illinois basketball star Kofi Cockburn but has taken multiple years to come up with decisions on several big time programs charged with major violations,” Vitale posted on Twitter. “Their decision making methods must be changed. They are a joke!”

The 7-footer nearly averaged a double-double as a sophomore, with 17.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. He has become one of the go-to option on this Illinois team following the loss of point guard Ayo Dosunmu to the NBA.