• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

PF/C Kosta Koufos (CSKA Moscow)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
Link

First tip from a scout

On my way into the gym, I ran into Ron Briscoe, who is responsible for the Southern-based Regional Basketball Report and Scouting Service. He raved about 7-0 Ohio State recruit Kosta Koufos and compared him to Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki.

Now, I'd seen Koufos a couple times before.

Or so I thought.

The new, improved version is a markedly different player. Koufos gained about 30 pounds, up to 252, through weightlifting after a foot injury cut short his junior season at Glen Oak High School in Canton, Ohio. On the first possession of his first game, he executed a difficult move along the left baseline, turning into his right shoulder and nailing a 14-foot jumper.

"I try to base my game like a European player," Koufos says. That's fitting for someone pondering whether to join the Greek national team. But Koufos also worked hard to be effective in the post, something many international players don't do because the trapezoid-style lane discourages inside play.

"Having the shot and the post moves, it's pretty hard to guard," he adds.
 
Upvote 0
OSUBasketballJunkie said:
Rivals.com$

7/13/06

Video of Koufos in action.
Click to expand...

Once again I will say this kid is just unreal and cannot imagine that there are more than a handful of kids that should be ranked ahead of him. He grabbed a rebound took it coast to coast and then missed the layup twice got two offensive rebounds and then hit a fallaway jumper. He is taking smaller guys off the dribble. He can shoot the 3. He is not slow on his feet like say a big Z or Vlade. He is dynamic like Dirk, to where he can take you inside or out.

I just continue to be more impressed with him everytime I see him, and to think he hasnt even started his senior year of high school and is just coming off a foot injury.
 
Upvote 0
Once again I will say this kid is just unreal and cannot imagine that there are more than a handful of kids that should be ranked ahead of him.
Click to expand...

Koufos is a top 10 player in this very talented 2007 class. I can't add much to the previous post, but I will say he is continuing to get better every camp and to see a big man grab the rebound and then lead the break, its pretty amazing, he looks smooth out there handling the ball.
 
Upvote 0
cnnsi.com (Seth Davis)

7/20/06

At the NBAPA camp, I saw a skinny 6-foot-10 kid rip down a rebound, cover the floor in what seemed like three dribbles, soar down the lane and slam the ball through traffic. I was not surprised to learn later that Dallas native Anthony Randolph was one of the highest-ranked kids in the class of '07. (Sounds like Texas is the school to beat in his recruitment.) I also marveled at 7-1 center Kosta Koufos, an incredibly skilled player who's headed to Ohio State. And it seemed like Corey Stokes, a 6-6 wing from New Jersey who is committed to Villanova, did not miss a shot during the two days I was in Richmond.
Click to expand...

Koufos, the Ohio State-bound center, was also a major factor in this game and was arguably the best player in camp. The other revelation for me from Nike was Greg Monroe, a 6-10 junior from Gretna, La. Watching Monroe also meant the chance to hang out in the bleachers with LSU coach John Brady, who everybody knows would love to see Monroe stay in his home state. After Monroe made one particularly agile move, Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings called out toward Brady, "He's going to Kansas!"
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
FoxSports.com (Frank Burilson)

7/29/06

The Top 25 performers in Las Vegas


(It's not based strictly on college potential but on how they performed while I watched them and what they did to get their teams as deep into their tournaments as possible)
*-Reebok Big Time **-Adidas Super 64 ***-The Main Event
1. *Eric Gordon 6-3 Sr. Mean Streets Express


Frank says: If you're looking for a one-word description of his play, "wow" is more than suitable.
2. *Kevin Love 6-9 Southern California All-Stars


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width=237 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
5825804_36_2.jpg
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=caption>Kevin Love made news on the court in Las Vegas (leading SCA to another title) and off it (with his commitment to UCLA). (Las Vegas Review-Journal, John Locher / Associated Press)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Frank says: The fact that he couldn't be guarded, 1-on-1 (and, just as rarely, 2-on-1), is why his team and not the Mean Streets Express cut down the nets in the Foothill High gymnasium Wednesday night.
3. **James Harden 6-5 Sr. Pump-N-Run Elite


Frank says: If his play here is any indication, he'll be the fifth McDonald's All-America to come out of Artesia High in Lakewood, Calif., joining Ed O'Bannon (1990), Charles O'Bannon (1993), Avondre Jones (1993) and Jason Kapono (1999).
4. *O.J.Mayo 6-4 Sr. D-1 Greyhounds


Frank says: His team was bounced from the Reebok tournament in the Round of 32. Yeah, who would have predicted that?
5. **Austin Freeman 6-4 Sr. D.C. Assault


Frank says: He can score as frequently and in as many fashions as anyone in the country. But his defense (which James Harden exploited Wednesday) needs a lot of fine-tuning.
6. *Derrick Rose 6-3 Mean Streets Express


Frank says: The next "showdown" with Mayo will probably take place in the 2007 Roundball Classic in Chicago.
7. **Mike Beasley 6-8 Sr. D.C. Assault


Frank says: The best low-post scoring performance in town over the five days was turned in by this guy in the first half against Pump-N-Run Elite.
8. **Jrue Holiday 6-3 Jr. Double Pump Elite


Frank says: There is a reasonable chance he could be the same level of two-guard prospect a year from now as Eric Gordon, James Harden and Austin Freeman.
9. ***Greg Monroe 6-9 Jr. New Orleans Panthers


Frank says: It would have been cool to see "The Next Lamar Odom" playing in Cox Pavilion Wednesday.
10. ***Gary Johnson 6-6 Sr. Houston Hoops


Frank says: It's time to bust out the "he's a blue collar, undersized power forward" description.
11. **Larry Drew 5-11 Jr. Pump-N-Run Elite


Frank says: Based on his play over five days and the increasing number of high-profile programs that are jumping on his recruiting bandwagon, it's reasonable to assume that he's at least the equal of any point guard in the Class of 2008.
12. ***Kosta Koufos 6-11 Sr. King James Shooting Stars


Frank says: All things considered, he gets the nod as the second best center I saw in Las Vegas. The best one's initials are K and L.
13. *Taylor King 6-7 Sr. Southern California All-Stars


Frank says: His shooting slumped on the final day but he still made more than enough big plays throughout the Big Time Tournament to merit a Top 25 position.
14. **Johnny Flynn 5-11 Sr. GC Ballers


Frank says: One thing was clear after the first viewing: He'd start at Syracuse in the coming season if he didn't have another year of high school to attend first.
15. ***Jai Lucas 5-11 Sr. Houston Hoops


Frank says: He demonstrated a delicate balance between being a "true point guard" and "scoring point guard."
16. *Brandon Jennings 6-1 Jr. Southern California All-Stars


Frank says: Along with Daniel Hackett, he made the majority of the critical plays that enabled the team to overtake and finally hold off Mean Streets Express Wednesday night.
17. *Darquavis Tucker 6-5 Sr. Michigan Hurricanes


Frank says: From 15-feet and in, no one his size was any better in the three tournaments.
18. **Morgan Grim 6-7 Sr. Utah Pump-N-Run


Frank says: While helping his team to a surprising semifinal finish in the adidas event, he demonstrated why he's he most underrated senior prospect in the West.
19. *Drew Gordon 6-9 Jr. Oakland Soldiers


Frank says: Only Kevin Love looked like a better rebounder on the night I watched the sleek forward, who turned 16 barely two weeks ago.
20. *Daniel Hackett 6-4 Southern California All-Stars


Frank says: What kind of impact did he have on the Reebok title game? Oh, if he hadn't been in uniform, Mean Streets Express would have won by a double-figure margin.
21. *Blake Hoffarber 6-4 Sr. Minnesota Magic Elite 17U<?h4>
Frank says: He gets my "I'd never heard of the guy before I saw him in Las Vegas but he's pretty darn good" award.
<H4>22. **Emmanuel Negedu 6-7 Jr. Indiana Elite


Frank says: After the first glance on Wednesday, I'd say anyone in need of a power forward in the Class of 2008 is going to recruit this fellow.
23. **Austin Daye 6-9 Pump-N-Run Elite


Frank says: If he keeps sprouting he might be the first "true" 7-foot guard.
24. ***Isaiah Thomas 5-6 Sr. Seattle Friends of Hoop


Frank says: He didn't play particularly well in the Main Event title game vs. Houston Hoops Wednesday but he's on the list for the things he did to get his team to that point
25. *Clint Chapman 6-10 Sr. Portland Panthers


Frank says: After three days in Las Vegas (his team was eliminated from the Big Time Tournament Monday night) his college options changed considerably. Inducted into the USBWA Hall of Fame in April, 2005, Frank Burlison is Scout.com's national basketball expert and is also a columnist for the Long Beach (Calif.) Press-Telegram. He can be reached at [email protected]. Read more of Burlison's pieces at www.frankhoops.com.
Click to expand...
</H4>
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top