NCAA's stars ready to shine on PPG Paints Arena stage

There’s no denying the treacherous trail that even the most elite of college basketball players encounter when seeking a coveted space on the NBA stage.

Obviously, there are only so many roster spots.

But if you have what it takes, the NBA will notice.

“I try not to make it about myself,” Illinois big man Kofi Cockburn said Thursday, on the eve of a quartet of South Region first-round NCAA Tournament games at PPG Paints Arena. “Obviously, a lot of people know I have goals and aspirations.”

Yes, the NBA is on Cockburn’s wish list, though you’d hardly know it by his demeanor.

“Whatever it takes for me to win these games,” said the 7-foot, 285-pound junior and a first-team All-American, who had been a target of Pitt coach Jeff Capel coming out of Oak Hill Academy in Virginia in 2018. “People value winners, so I try to put that above everything else.”

It is an intangible and savvy approach to the future, one that adds to the resume of a pro prospect such as Cockburn, who averages of 21.1 points and 10.6 rebounds. Fourth-seeded Illinois opens against No. 13 Chattanooga at 6:50 p.m. Friday.

While the star power in Pittsburgh might not show up as prominently as in other regionals across the country — Gonzaga’s and Duke’s entourages of prospects dominate the West — there’s still plenty more familiar names on the NBA radar.

They include E.J. Liddell and Malaki Branham of Ohio State, Collin Gillespie of Villanova, Lucas Williamson of Loyola Chicago and Malachi Smith of Chattanooga, the Southern Conference Player of the Year.

Their names might not always show up in mock drafts or lists of top prospects, but their teams surely know who they are.

“Malachi Smith leads us in scoring (20.1 ppg.), and he’s wherever in the country (tied for 18th) and I probably have fewer plays specifically to get him a shot than anyone else on the entire team,” Chattanooga coach Lamont Paris said. “He knows how to get his, but he’s also not concerned about getting his. He leads us in assists (3.1 apg.).”

Perhaps the most celebrated NBA prospect in town is Ohio State’s Liddell, a 6-foot-7, 240-pound junior who is averaging 19.6 points and 7.9 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Buckeyes, who open Friday against No. 10 Loyola Chicago.

Liddell did his best to block out the noise Thursday as he led Ohio State through a workout, but for a big part of the time all eyes were fixed on him.

“Happy I’m back here (Ohio State lost to Oral Roberts last season in the NCAA Tournament first round). Happy for the opportunity to play in the tournament again,” Liddell said. “This is a collective effort, (but) it would mean a lot, obviously, to leave my name in the Ohio State fans’ minds, my legacy, no matter how much I scored. Even if I don’t score, I’m proud.”

Liddell figures to be in an NBA camp somewhere, whether this year or next, but he won’t let it interfere with the immediate task.

“That’s cool stuff, obviously. That’s a dream of mine,” Liddell said, reluctantly broaching the subject. “But I truly, honestly have just been living in the moment. I have fun every single second I’m with these guys. I enjoy my day and when that stuff happens, it happens. Right now, I’m just enjoying life and enjoying the moment I’m living in.”

Coaches, it seems, have a way of protecting their stars. Illinois’ Brad Underwood would like nothing more than to see his big, 7-footer, Cockburn, succeed at the next level.

But now is not the time. Underwood knows better. At least one more game remains this season.

Still, he praised Cockburn as one of the Illini’s all-time greats.

“His legacy means a lot to him. His jersey is going to hang in our rafters, which is special,” Underwood said. “You’re talking about a first-team All-American, arguably the most dominant player in college basketball, physically. To have that option is a pretty doggone good option to have.”