CHAMPAIGN — First off, let's get the pronunciation of Kofi Cockburn's last name right.
The new Illinois big man, born and raised in Jamaica before moving to New York City as a teenager and playing his last season of high school basketball at a prep powerhouse in rural Virginia, says his last name is pronounced like 'Co-burn.' Even if the spelling suggests differently.
"It's the way it's spelled," Cockburn said, "so I accept it sometimes."
The whirlwind week for Cockburn, who signed late Tuesday night with the Illini before Illinois made it offical on Wednesday, continued with an appearance on Thursday's 'SportsTalk,' on WDWS 1400-AM.