CantonRep.com
7/4
GlenOak’s Koufos reaching his goals
Monday, July 4, 2005 By Chris Beaven Repository sports writer
Most college basketball coaches knew about Kosta Koufos before this offseason began.
They knew he already stood nearly 7 feet tall as a GlenOak High School sophomore. They knew he possessed skills rarely found in a young player his size.
What they didn’t know was how determined Koufos was to make the most of this offseason to become better.
“I’ve been working nonstop,” Koufos said.
That approach is paying off big time for the soon-to-be junior.
All of the top coaches know his game now, and they will see more of it this week when he attends the Nike All-American camp in Indianapolis.
“After this All-American camp, it’s going to get kind of crazy,” GlenOak head coach Jack Greynolds Jr. said.
The 7-foot, 240-pound Koufos entered the offseason already a top recruiting target of many schools, including Ohio State.
Now ...
“Duke’s calling,” Greynolds said. “Michigan, Michigan State, Arizona, a lot of the Big East ... a lot of people are on his trail.”
Koufos generated the interest with what Greynolds called “a dominant” showing two weeks ago at the Nike Hoop Jamboree in St. Louis. That earned him an invite to this week’s Nike camp. He also put together an impressive week in March on an Ohio all-star team playing in a tournament in Italy.
Add all of it together and Koufos finds himself in a situation he has dreamed about. But he could not even begin to imagine he would hear from the likes of Ohio State Head Coach Thad Matta or Maryland assistant Keith Booth.
“And Coach K (Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski) and Bobby Knight (of Texas Tech) have called coach Greynolds,” Koufos said, taking a long pause as he thought about that. “It’s amazing.”
Greynolds is not surprised.
“He’s great kid,” Greynolds said. “He’s a 3.8 student. ... He’s personable, he’s polite and he just has a great work ethic. He does basketball 24/7. That’s his passion. You don’t get too many 7-footers that have that type of passion, talent and skill to do something with it.”
Koufos became determined to have a big offseason as soon as he walked off the court for the final time last season, which ended with a disappointing third loss to McKinley.
“I had to become more aggressive,” he said.
Koufos put up good numbers last season on a GlenOak team that went 18-5. He averaged team highs of 15.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.7 blocks. He displayed a nice touch on his jumper, ran the floor well and was the only sophomore on The Repository’s All-Stark County team.
But Koufos thought his season could have been a lot better. The three losses to state champion McKinley really bothered him.
“When we played against McKinley, I wished I’d done a little bit more after each game,” he said. “I’d be in locker room thinking about what I could’ve done more, and I needed to be more aggressive.”
So this offseason, in addition to putting up 500 to 1,000 jumpers a day, Koufos focused on being aggressive inside.
That helped him earn MVP honors in leading a group of Ohio sophomores to an unbeaten record in a tournament in Italy.
“That was a huge thing over there,” Greynolds said. “He played in front of 9,000 to 10,000 people, had little kids asking for his autograph.”
Then came the Nike Hoop Jamboree.
“From coaches I talked to, he just dominated,” Greynolds said.
Not that Koufos did much bragging himself.
“After the Nike Jamboree, we had a summer-league game the next night, and he kind of walked by me and just put a thumb up, like he did all right,” Greynolds said.
Koufos sat down next to his coach, talked some, but said nothing about the camp. Greynolds already had heard how well Koufos had done, but the coach played dumb.
“I finally asked him how he did, and he said he thought he did OK,” Greynolds said. “I said, ‘Yeah, OK. ... From what I heard you were the best one there.’
“That’s what makes it so fun with him. He’s humble, and he’s a great kid. When you talk to coaches about him, you don’t have to keep things to yourself or try to spin things. ... He’s the kind of guy I think every program should look for.”
As seemingly every program inquires about Koufos, he said his focus is on continuing to improve. He has the camp this week, and AAU nationals in Las Vegas later in the month. A college commitment is not something he plans to make anytime soon.
“It’s breathtaking when you think about it,” said Koufos, who just turned 16. “I’m so young right now, and the decision will be so hard when I get (there). Right now, I’ve got to keep my options open.
“And it’s a good thing I’ve got a great mom, too. She keeps track of all of that, and I’ve got a great coach, too. They both support me a lot, and they keep me grounded.”
You can reach Repository sports writer Chris Beaven at (330) 580-8345 or e-mail:
[email protected]
Several Stark County high school basketball players — from McKinley standout forward Raymar Morgan (senior-to-be) to Perry center Kenny Frease (sophomore-to-be) — are drawing serious recruiting interest this summer from college coaches around the country, as sports writer Chris Beaven reports in this three-part Repository series.
SUNDAY: Class of 2006. McKinley has not one, not two, but six senior-to-be players getting serious recruiting interest, making Memorial Field House the place to be for college basketball’s elite coaches.
TODAY: Class of 2007. It’s been a busy offseason for GlenOak junior-to-be Kosta Koufos, including the Nike Hoop Jamboree in St. Louis, playing in Italy and this week’s Nike All-American camp in Indianapolis.
TUESDAY: Class of 2008. Frease isn’t old enough to drive and has just one season of varsity basketball under his belt, but he already has a full-ride offer from Xavier — surely just the tip of the iceberg for this promising Perry sophomore-to-be.
Top prospects in Class of 2007
n Here’s a quick glance at the Stark County players in the Class of 2007 expected to get serious looks from major Division I college basketball teams this summer and beyond.
Player School Ht. 2004-05 stats Description
Kosta Koufos GlenOak 7-0 15.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg Good shooting touch, impressive all-around skills ... Could dominate if he develops mean streak
Michael Porrini Massillon 6-0 14.5 ppg, 5.2 apg Can take over game as scorer or passer ... Capable of triple-double on any night ... Needs consistency
Ricardo Wells Massillon 6-2 11.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg Streaky shooter who can heat up in a hurry ... Overall game still developing, but is gaining experience
Dan Boudler Louisville 6-7 14.0 ppg, 10.7 rpg Prototype big man who does all his damage in the paint
Cory Berry Central Cath. 5-11 14.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg Playmaking guard with a flair to his game ... Will have greater role this season
Morgan Williams McKinley 6-0 1.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg Explosive athlete who also could have a bright football future
Leo Turpin McKinley 6-6 1.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg Rangy big man ... It’s tough for him to get minutes in Pups’ front court ... Enjoyed a solid summer
compiled by Josh Weir and Chris Beaven, Repository sports writers