PF/C Kosta Koufos (CSKA Moscow)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Bucknuts.com$ (Jeff Rapp)

Koufos Can't Wait To Carry Over Performance Overseas.........

 

[Bestbuck36]

According to that video, we're lucky the NBA rule changed. Unbelievable balance and body control for a big man. His footwork and shooting skills are outstanding. I wasnt sure about him making that big an impact at first this season but as was previously stated his strength is obviously improved and just looking at him his confidence is sky high right now.

 

[JerseyBuckeye]

before watching that video i had never seen any real game clips of Kosta. I have to say i was surprised by how much handle and balance he has for a big man. He definately will bring a new element to the court this year for the Buckeyes.

 

[jed]

Koufos is not perfect...yet

Hello everyone,
I was lucky to watch 2 games of Kostas in the U18 European Championship.
Kostas in these games showed parts of his talent.
Some of those were the Tim Duncan bank shot, the drive from the perimeter, the passing to the open man when double and triple teamed are only a few.
Some things though need to improve drastically in order for Kostas to be part of the 2008 Olympic team next year.
These are Free throws, footwork is good but could be even better.
I also think Kostas needs to get stronger , in order to defend shorter, stronger and faster centers. (such as MacVan)
This has to do a lot with his waist and leg muscles which are not bad for an 18y old 7 footer but in order to participate and compete against gasol and Nowitski you need to have these things.
What Amazed me with Kostas was his down to earth attitude.
He never overeacted when he was getting fouled by 2 or 3 guys at the same time and the ref didn?t give it or when he scored big baskets.

I am sure Kostas is working everyday more than most of his co athletes I can see that in him. You guys in the States will find out soon I guess.

If you wish to enjoy the U18 final you can:
http://www.blue-whitegt.com/details.php?id=45946
If this doesn?t work and you cannot register let me know and I will post the torrent elsewhere.


PS: It?s been a long time since I watched an 18year old try decent hook shots and make all of them!!!

 

[Buckskin86]

8/22/2007 11:40:00 AM
Around The World

After an impressive performance in the European U-19 Championships, Ohio State freshman Kosta Koufus could find himself playing for Greece in Beijing.

Kosta Koufos returned home on Sunday from the European Under-18 Championships in Madrid, and by Monday the 18-year-old had slipped back into the anonymity of pickup games in his hometown of Canton, Ohio. Soon he'll make the 128-mile trip to Columbus to begin fall classes at Ohio State and, in the winter, inevitably become known to casual college basketball fans as "The Greek Guy who Replaced Greg Oden". Koufos, Rivals.com's No. 16-rated player in the Class of '07, is talented enough to start for nearly any program in the nation as a freshman. But it will take a while -- certainly much longer than it did for Oden -- for the 7-foot-1 big man to become a household name in the NCAA.

There is one place where Koufos is already quite popular, though: Greece. So much so that a ripple of Kosta-mania spread over the country's countless sports papers -- and even non-sports, national TV networks such as MEGA -- in the past few weeks. "The European media coverage was nuts ... almost out of hand," Koufos said of the scene in Spain, as well as what occurred when he arrived in Greece after the tournament. "After games, in the locker room, they were everywhere; I'd get pictures taken of me stretching. In Greece I was on TV every day."

What was the reason for the overseas media assault on a guy who, stateside, is only familiar to recruitniks and Ohio State fans? When you see Koufos' per-game averages from the U-18s, where he led Greece to a silver medal and was named the tournament MVP, the attention seems warranted: 26.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 1.4 steals, according to a gushing report from DraftExpress, which called it perhaps the best performance by a European junior this decade. It was promising enough for Koufos to get attention from the Greek men's senior national team, whom you'll recall were the savvy bunch that upset the U.S. team in the Athens games in '04. "I have to stay focused and work for it, but I have a real good chance to play in the 2008 Olympics now," Koufos said. One doubts there are other any other incoming college freshmen with the potential of playing such a sizable role in Beijing.

The Canton-born Koufos' connection to Greece is his mother, Kathy, who lived in Messini until the age of six, when her family emigrated to Australia and eventually the U.S., settling in Ohio. Kosta was able to obtain dual citizenship through a year-long, paperwork-heavy process, clearing him to follow what he called a "dream" and play for the Hellas. (The Greek media was already following Koufos before he was officially Greek: At the Jordan Classic in April, I sat next to a reporter who, I was somewhat stunned to learn, had traveled from Athens to see Koufos -- as well as investigate into whether Florida-bound guard Nick Calathes, who has Greek relatives, might also be a potential Hellas convert.)

Once in Spain, Koufos was forced to quickly acclimate himself with the Greeks' playing style. He speaks the language well enough to communicate with teammates, but had just over a week between when he arrived in Europe and the tournament's championship rounds began. "Kosta basically got off the plane and started playing," said Kathy. "Considering he had barely any practice with the guys, it worked out really well."

Well, indeed, and despite there being little-to-no U.S. media coverage of Koufos' performance (not a single newspaper article about it pops up in Google News), he kept Ohio State assistant Dan Peters informed on the Greek team's silver-medal run through regular phone calls. While no one expects the Buckeyes to be back in the Final Four, Koufos' summer abroad was a promising indication of how they might re-tool and remain Big Ten contenders in the year after Greg. Incumbent power forward Othello Hunter can handle more of the dirty work in the paint, and Koufos is a versatile big man who can provide offense at either the 4 or 5 positions. The adjective most frequently found in recruiting services' reviews of Koufos' game was "Euro-style." Now he has the passport to match.

SI.com - College Basketball Blog

 

[Buckskin86]

OSU men's basketball: Koufos stands out in Europe
Friday, August 24, 2007 3:32 AM
By Bob Baptist
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Koufos was the star of the tournament Aug. 3-12 in Madrid. He averaged 26.5 points, 13 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots in eight games and was named the most valuable player. He had 33 points and 13 rebounds in a 92-89 loss to Serbia in the final.

"Nobody has come close to producing those numbers in (the) junior category since 1996," DraftExpress.com reported.

Koufos said he has "a really, really good chance" of playing for Greece in the Olympics next year. He hopes to return to Greece in June to join the national team and land a spot on the roster.

By then, the Olympics might not be the only dream he has a chance to realize. His performance in Spain was noted by professional scouts, and Koufos vaulted into the lottery in some NBA mock drafts for 2008. Draft Express rated him the No. 4 pick. Others boards, however, did not even mention him in the first round.

"I've got a long way to go," he said. "If it takes me two, three, four years in college to get to the next level, it takes me two, three, four years. I'm just thinking about Ohio State now."

The Columbus Dispatch : OSU men's basketball: Koufos stands out in Europe

 

[HabaneroBuck]

Umm...is it just me or does Kosta look like he's at least twice as skilled as Oden on the offensive end? He appears also to only be minimally less skilled on defense, as well. If he doesn't better Oden's freshman numbers, I'll be shocked. He can pretty much put up 30 ppg on all of the average defenders in college, and putting up 20 against good comp wouldn't surprise me a bit. I predict, due to the talent around him, that he averages at least 18 a game this year, with occasional explosions of 30+. It's all there to see.

 

[xcrunner]

Umm...is it just me or does Kosta look like he's at least twice as skilled as Oden on the offensive end? He appears also to only be minimally less skilled on defense, as well. If he doesn't better Oden's freshman numbers, I'll be shocked. He can pretty much put up 30 ppg on all of the average defenders in college, and putting up 20 against good comp wouldn't surprise me a bit. I predict, due to the talent around him, that he averages at least 18 a game this year, with occasional explosions of 30+. It's all there to see.

Not to be negative at all, but I'll say he's only "minimally less skilled on defense" than Oden when I see it. Not that Koufos has average or below average defense or anything. But Oden was one of the best defensive college players ever in my opinion. He was really, really special and I don't know if, defensively, we'll ever get anyone as good as him in the next decade.

Offensively, however, while I don't know about "twice as skilled", I think he's probably better than Oden. I didn't realize it when he first signed, but he could have an Oden-like impact when he plays. IMO, a final four is very possible with this class.

 

[HabaneroBuck]

Not to be negative at all, but I'll say he's only "minimally less skilled on defense" than Oden when I see it. Not that Koufos has average or below average defense or anything. But Oden was one of the best defensive college players ever in my opinion. He was really, really special and I don't know if, defensively, we'll ever get anyone as good as him in the next decade.

Oden had poor footwork often when he was gassed. He fouled a lot. Oden still has the potential to be one of the best defensive players ever, but he did not demonstrate being one of the best ever in his injury-affected season last year. Sorry. For instance, if you compare him to Junior and Senior Okafor, Oden was a little wanting. He'll end up better than Emeka in the long run, but he was not better than Okafor last year.

And I stand by "twice as skilled." There are a lot of post moves AND putting the ball on the floor in the championship game.

 

[graveyard.roses]

I think Oden's footwork in the early stages of last year was partly due to his injury. It's hard to adjust your footwork when you are not comfortable. Having little use of your strong hand limits your dribbling and makes you have to work extra hard to complete post moves, especially against opponents that were often holding him, pushing him and tugging on his jersey.

I'm not certain about what Kosta can do in the post. I know his size makes him a mismatch in the perimiter, but when Oden was healthy--down the stretch in the season, he was close to unstoppable offensively. I think Kosta may have more skills in offense than Greg did last year, but Greg, with his size and dominance against teams down low, may end up being more impactful offensively than Kosta can be.

I compare it to Shaq in his prime and Dirk Nowitzki. While Dirk can light it up and cause mismatches, his play was perimiter and was similar to a guards output. Having someone with incredible size and dominance in the post is much more lethal to defenses because there is just no way to stop it. With someone like Kosta and Dirk you can hope for missed shots, but with someone like Greg and Shaq they're shooting at such high percentage and you have to work extra hard to get them just not to dunk in your face.

It would have been something else to watch the both of them play together.

 

[akronbuck]

I think Oden's footwork in the early stages of last year was partly due to his injury. It's hard to adjust your footwork when you are not comfortable. Having little use of your strong hand limits your dribbling and makes you have to work extra hard to complete post moves, especially against opponents that were often holding him, pushing him and tugging on his jersey.

I'm not certain about what Kosta can do in the post. I know his size makes him a mismatch in the perimiter, but when Oden was healthy--down the stretch in the season, he was close to unstoppable offensively. I think Kosta may have more skills in offense than Greg did last year, but Greg, with his size and dominance against teams down low, may end up being more impactful offensively than Kosta can be.

I compare it to Shaq in his prime and Dirk Nowitzki. While Dirk can light it up and cause mismatches, his play was perimiter and was similar to a guards output. Having someone with incredible size and dominance in the post is much more lethal to defenses because there is just no way to stop it. With someone like Kosta and Dirk you can hope for missed shots, but with someone like Greg and Shaq they're shooting at such high percentage and you have to work extra hard to get them just not to dunk in your face.

It would have been something else to watch the both of them play together.

kosta is lights years ahead of any bigman in ohio state history when it comes to scoring and being a complete basketball player. He can score in anytype of position. He just has to become more dominate down low on his defensive side. He blocks a lot of shots just needs to get stronger and when that happens the talk about his game will be what can't he do great.

 

[Buckskin86]

Koufos warms up for OSU in Greece
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Sunday special
BY TODD PORTER

When Kosta Koufos finally joined Greece's 18-under national team, he had just a day to get to know his new teammates. They didn't seem to hamper his play. The advice was to stay out of the 7-foot-1, 260-pounder's way.

Most of the time, they did. Essentially, the coaches told Koufos to do what he felt best on the court. In other words, "We know you're the best player on our court ... make sure everyone stays out of your way."

The GlenOak High School graduate and Ohio State-bound big man was named the Most Valuable Player of the UMCOR 18-under men's championship played in Madrid. Koufos accepted an invitation to join Greece's team.

Greece lost the gold medal to Serbia, but Koufos did his part. He averaged 26.5 points, 13 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots. In about three weeks, he reports to Ohio State, where Koufos is expected to have an impact on the Buckeyes as a freshman.

Since his performance in Europe, Koufos has climbed the charts on various NBA Draft boards. Some have him going as a lottery pick after his freshman season.

"Physically, I've changed drastically," Koufos said. "At the end of the high school season, I was about 270 pounds. I've got my weight down to about 256 now. My body fat is down. I'm a lot leaner, a lot quicker and faster. I feel like I've got more strength."

Koufos' mother was born in Greece. He was born in the United States, but is eligible to play on Greece's national team next year because of his mother's citizenship.

After the 18-under performance, will Koufos return next year to help Greece make a run in the Olympics?

"Next year," Koufos said, "I'm going back and playing with (Greece's) men's national team for the Olympics."

Before that, though, Thad Matta wants him in Columbus. When freshman Greg Oden left OSU for the NBA, plenty of Buckeye fans turned their attention to Koufos.

"I'm fortunate to be able to play at Ohio State," Koufos said. "We've got great players. ... I don't feel any pressure at all (to replace Oden). Greg was a great player, and he was more of a true center. I'm more of an in-and-out player."

That's the style of play Koufos used in the 18-under European Championships, and it served him rather well.

The loss to Serbia was hard to swallow. Greece squandered a 15-point lead.

"We should have won the game," he said. "The competition was great. All the teams there have four or five pro players already on them because European teams start young with the pro players."

It wasn't all work.

Koufos spent six days in Greece, four of those after the tournament ended.

"I got to go with my cousins down to the ocean and see a little bit of the nightlife," he said. "Basically, though, the whole time I was there I was training."

Incidentally, NBADraft.net is projecting Koufos to go No. 11 to Indiana in the 2008 draft.

cantonrep.com

 

[jed]

Koufos is not perfect...yet

Well guys I don?t think you should focus at comparing Kostas to Oden. Simply because they have completely different styles of play.

After watching Kostas play 4 full games up to now (All american and Greek national team games ) I think in order to utilise Kostas a team should prefer set play rather than the usual run and gun game played in college game.
The European style of play like the mens team in Greece fits perfect to Kostas game and it will show next year in the Olympics team where I think Kostas will be part of.
I am not sure what style of play Ohio?s state will have next year but given Kostas ability in offense when playing one on one he is simply unbeatable.
He can score in so many ways it is frustrating.
I can?t wait to watch Ohio state games this season however I am wondering how much Matta will adjust they team?s style of play to make use of Kostas abilities.
We shall see.
By the way Kostas was in every single cover of the 10 sports papers we have in Greece not to mention the other papers and magazines which had extensive coverage of his performance.
Thats all from Greece which is unfortunatelly on fire today...
Take care all,
ST

 

[LitlBuck]

kosta is lights years ahead of any bigman in ohio state history when it comes to scoring and being a complete basketball player..

Maybe this was before your time but there was a guy named Jerry Lucas who was pretty skilled I think you might be rushing to judgment.

 

[akronbuck]

Maybe this was before your time but there was a guy named Jerry Lucas who was pretty skilled I think you might be rushing to judgment.

Ya, before, my time but, Im about as die-hard a buckeye fan/grad can be. I was born november 21, 1970 at halftime of the OSU/SCUM GAME.

Jerry Lucas was a freak but, was he shooting 3's and dribbling the ball up full court pressure. In my book, Lucas was a 6'8 Oden and the only player that could touch kosta outside game would be Brad Sellers.