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1/21/06
1/21/06
Broken foot stops Glen-Oak star
Saturday, January 21, 2006
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By JOSH WEIR Repository sports writer[/FONT]
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Repository Bob Rossiter GlenOak High School junior Kosta Koufos (left) was a 7-foot-1 spectator Friday during the Golden Eagles’ 51-50 victory over Perry. Koufos fractured a bone in his right foot and will be out an estimated six to eight weeks.
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PLAIN TWP. T - he startling skill and grace of Kosta Koufos’ basketball abilities were not on display Friday night in front of a packed house at the GlenOak Career Center.
Instead, the 7-foot-1 junior sat on the bench, with a green jumpsuit and matching toboggan cap, serving as one of the tallest assistant coaches/cheerleaders ever seen.
The GlenOak High School boys basketball team learned early Friday that Koufos could be done for the season with a fractured metatarsal in his right foot. The initial prognosis is Koufos will miss six to eight weeks, although he isn’t giving up on the idea of making a late-season return.
Either way, Koufos is going to be there for his teammates.
“I still have a role on this team,” said Koufos, who was averaging 25 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks. “Now, I’m going to support them from the bench.”
Koufos landed on the side of his foot during Wednesday’s practice. Initially, it didn’t seem that serious, he said.
“That changed as I kept playing,” Koufos said.
Koufos got it checked out Friday at Aultman West and learned the bad news. He’ll travel to the Cleveland Clinic next week for a second opinion by the same doctor who worked on Cleveland Cavaliers’ center Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
GlenOak coach Jack Greynolds said he consoled Koufos with a hug when he heard of the injury. Not that the kid needed it.
“(Kosta) said, ‘It’s all right. There are little kids that have cancer or can’t walk. I just have a little broken foot,’” Greynolds said. “That’s just the way he looks at life. He’s such a moral, positive person that has his priorities in order.”
Positive is the only outlook, according to Koufos, who greeted numerous well-wishers Friday night with a smile and a look of confidence.
“My spirits are good,” he said. “What good does it do for me to be down?
“I still have my senior year. I’m going to put on 20 pounds of muscle and get up to 260. My growth plate is still open.”
Greynolds assured everyone that GlenOak is not going to cut the season short. A tall order is in store without their tallest player, but the Golden Eagles aren’t mailing in anything.
“I don’t focus on things I can’t control,” Greynolds said. “Like the Bible says, worrying doesn’t add a single day to your life. Obviously we’d rather have him in there, but we don’t, so we’re going to go without him and be as gutsy as we can.”
The Eagles still have plenty of talent. Greynolds talked about a summer league game when 6-4 senior Nate West helped contain Columbus Harvest Prep 7-footer B.J. Mullen, who is committed to Ohio State. Koufos was at a camp in Chicago.
West, along with Errick McCollum, Mark Quinn, Mark Moore and Brian Powell, all will be required to do more with the man in the middle missing.
“Everybody has to step up,” said McCollum, GlenOak’s second-leading scorer at 15.1 points per game. “Look at what we’re missing when ‘Kouf’ is gone. ... We’re going to have to play hard and hustle, because we’re now a lot smaller.”
Greynolds is preparing for the worst because he doesn’t want to be disappointed. He doesn’t expect Koufos back.
“But obviously, if he does, we’re going to throw a party,” Greynolds said. Reach Repository sports writer Josh Weir at (330) 580-8426 or e-mail:
[email protected]
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