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PF/C Kosta Koufos (CSKA Moscow)

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BuckeyeMike80;1070926; said:
II agree here too. And I still think his game is much more suited to the less-structured NBA than it is to the college game much like Daequan.....
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That's interesting because when I looked at Cook I could see that he was more of a freewheeler and would play better in the NBA but I'm really don't see that in Kosta but maybe I am missing something. I would think that the European style of basketball is more structured than the NBA and maybe that is why he performed so well this past summer. JMO
 
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I am very pleased he is on the team and think he has a lot of potential. The key will be, will he and Matta make that connection so that KK can benefit from Matta's much greater knowledge about basketball?

Yes, KK had a good summer in Europe but that was not the NBA. I have only seen a few games, but KK did not impress with his presence. He is not dominating the boards and making things happen down low. He looked too comfortable taking shots from the perimeter for my liking and far too uncomfortable making things happen down low.

In my mind, the game KK wants to play would be great with Greg Oden at center. That was no doubt a disappointment for him as it was us all.

Nevertheless, I worry from the earlier post, though, that he may have very unrealistic ideas about what he could gain (or, I guess, not gain) from Matta. He needs a lot of development before the NBA, in my opinion.
 
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I have no doubt that Matta and KK are frustrated.......personally I do not feel that KK is not being utilized correctly....I mean they have tried to use him on the perimeter and on the post and lets be honest, at times he has "looked" timid on the court, at least to me. My comments are in reference to Dino's post........it is unfortunate that KK feels frustrated at this point but I think it is normal for a talented kid like KK to get frustrated when things came so easily in HS are not happening at the D-1 level at this point. To question how Matta is using him did not even enter my mind. I questioned KK and his inability to produce for long stretches in most games.

I do not know of anyway they are not utilizing KK's game, they are giving him the opportunities but he is not producing and that may be a factor in his reduced minutes. Just my opinion.
 
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I do not know of anyway they are not utilizing KK's game, they are giving him the opportunities but he is not producing and that may be a factor in his reduced minutes. Just my opinion.
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I too am guessing but perhaps Matta gets frustrated with him because of his defense and lack of rebounding. I don't know.


I also thought that he was getting winded like so many guys do at the beginning of the game and that is why Thad was giving him so many blows.
 
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OSUBasketballJunkie;1071628; said:
I have no doubt that Matta and KK are frustrated.......personally I do not feel that KK is not being utilized correctly....I mean they have tried to use him on the perimeter and on the post and lets be honest, at times he has "looked" timid on the court, at least to me. My comments are in reference to Dino's post........it is unfortunate that KK feels frustrated at this point but I think it is normal for a talented kid like KK to get frustrated when things came so easily in HS are not happening at the D-1 level at this point. To question how Matta is using him did not even enter my mind. I questioned KK and his inability to produce for long stretches in most games.

I do not know of anyway they are not utilizing KK's game, they are giving him the opportunities but he is not producing and that may be a factor in his reduced minutes. Just my opinion.
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same thoughts. I get confused because, he has the talent but, ,,,,,,,,,,
 
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LitlBuck;1071709; said:
I too am guessing but perhaps Matta gets frustrated with him because of his defense and lack of rebounding. I don't know.


I also thought that he was getting winded like so many guys do at the beginning of the game and that is why Thad was giving him so many blows.
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He definitely seems to run out gas and that is when his defense/rebounding suffer. i think the key to KK is to get him going early which will keep his head in the game.
 
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OHTG102012302_1024x768.jpg

[FONT=arial,helvetica] Ohio State's Kosta Koufos, right, shoots over Illinois' Mike Tisdale during the first half of a basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008, in Columbus, Ohio. Illinois' Demetri McCamey (32), lower right, looks on. (AP Photo/Terry Gilliam)[/FONT]
 
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KK teases us with a nice post up and baby hook on the first possesion and then it is more from the perimeter. A few times, I saw him obviously out of synch with the offensive set, almost running into the ball handler on one occasion in an attempt to set a pick when someone was already set-up to set a screen. He just looks lost out there sometimes.
 
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OSUBasketballJunkie;1073452; said:
KK teases us with a nice post up and baby hook on the first possesion and then it is more from the perimeter. A few times, I saw him obviously out of synch with the offensive set, almost running into the ball handler on one occasion in an attempt to set a pick when someone was already set-up to set a screen. He just looks lost out there sometimes.
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It is just my opinion that he just hasn't found where he fits best, or thinks that he fits better where he shouldn't be...
 
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crazybuckfan40;1073574; said:
It is just my opinion that he just hasn't found where he fits best, or thinks that he fits better where he shouldn't be...
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[ame="http://youtube.com/watch?v=jWXuBbhrjU8"]YouTube - Kosta Koufos MVP U-18 European Championship(13-8-2007)[/ame]

I think that is a pretty accurate statement. Everyone has already watched this video, I'm sure, but I re-watched it to see what he was comfortable doing. He just likes to receive the ball in a position not well suited in our offense. I think our coaching would like to use him on the block more, and devlop his inside, back to the basket presence, whereas Kosta likes the ball on the wing, or extended foul line.

Kosta's post up position in that film consisted of him using his back to shield the defender 15-20 feet from the hoop where he could then face-up and take his defender off the dribble or shoot over him.

I just don't think he's comfortable yet, but he will continue to improve, and definately become a better player overall, once he learns an inside game to go along with his outside game.
 
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This is what we have constantly been saying about KK his game is 15 and in...

Not that he can't step outside and hit the 3, or catch the ball there and go to work there, but he has a great touch, uses the glass well, and is good off the dribble 1 to 2 bounces to get towards the goal...

This is all shown in this video, and is shown a lot when he has good games...It just seems that KK drifts outside, and hasn't figured out how to use the pick n pop to his advantage...When he sets high screens for Butler, he needs to pop to the wing and get into position at about 18 ft or so...

Another problem that I think is for another thread is how when our guards dribble they seem to retreat more than attacking and we seem to do a lot of starting our offense at about 30 feet, which doesn't help KK be able to get the ball in these positions, but it woudl be this type of high low game with KK flashing to the high post with Hutner on the block or vice versa that would benefit these two guys, but this could hurt Lighty and Turner in terms of them being able to get to the hole...

All in all it is just a matter of getting all the styles to fit together...We have a scoring PG that isnt a penetrator to create for other guys that much, we have 2 slashers, a shooter, and 2 big guys that like to drift out and not play on the block that much...

This is a lot to throw together...Turner and Lighty seem to have found their niche in terms of being able to find ways to get their shots, and get to the hole...

Now if we can just get KK involved in a midrange game, we will be very very tough to defend, because we will present mismatches all over the court...
 
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Dispatch

The odds of seeing Kosta Koufos play in tandem with fellow 7-footer B.J. Mullens at Ohio State next season could be improving.
After speaking with NBA scouts and executives, Chad Ford of ESPN.com this week rated the college freshmen likely to be taken in the first round of the 2008 draft. He wrote that "of all the heralded freshmen, (Koufos has) been the most disappointing.



Cont...
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CPD

OSU BASKETBALL
Koufos learning to stand tall inside

Saturday, January 26, 2008 Doug Lesmerises

Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus- After a scoreless first half that included a bewildered look during a sideline mini-lecture from head coach Thad Matta, Ohio State 7-foot freshman Kosta Koufos was fed the ball inside on the first possession of the second half a week ago against Tennessee.
"I thought, 'I'm just going to the bucket, and it's going in, no doubt,' " Koufos recalled Friday.
He dribbled into the lane and his little jumper fell home as the start of a 13-point second half in a 74-69 loss to the Volunteers. It was part of a season-long, up-and-down, outside-inside process for player and coaching staff that has created uneven results so far.
With the Buckeyes playing their 20th game of the season by hosting Minnesota tonight, Koufos has scored 16 points or more nine times, but 8 points or fewer five times. As one of the top 20 recruits in the country, the Canton GlenOak grad hasn't dominated the start of his college career as some people may have expected.
That's because he's playing a brand new game.
A self-described "European" big man, Koufos faced the basket and fired away from the outside during high school and AAU ball and while playing for Greece's national team in the under-18 European Championship this summer. With the Buckeyes, he's needed inside and is playing as a true big man, receiving the ball with his back to the basket more than ever.
"It's the most, it's not even close," Koufos said. "In high school, I pretty much did whatever I wanted. I took the ball down the court, I faced up, I shot 3s, I could have scored 50 points a game."

Continued......
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