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U18 MVP Kostas Koufos in action


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saw a bit of both games - Calathes is a solid player

Koufos would be a sensation in Europe with his style of play, he's very skilled, not soft , rebounds well, blocks shots but definitely very european in his game-- reminds me of Ralph Sampson actually

Not as big --but he is a giant

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The NIT is a tournament for teams that did not qualify for the NCAA tournament. Its sort of like the UEFA Cup.

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The NIT is a tournament for teams that did not qualify for the NCAA tournament. Its sort of like the UEFA Cup.

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Koufos has led Ohio State to the NIT Championship. He led Greece U19 to the final last year and was MVP. He will be a big time player in Greece and Europe or a pretty good center in the NBA and he is only a freshman

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im a bit confused.....

Was Ohio State the best Koufos could get?

I watched a bit of the final 4 now and a good number of these kids are pure crap... Koufos is absolutley a better player, in fact these colleges should look to that Greek u21 team to find talent....much better players like Matalon and Pappas...

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Well obviously you have no clue.

Ohio State is a national power who went through a rebuilding year after losing the likes of Mike Conley and Greg Oden. They have a freshman dominated team, and many of those freshmen would tear some of the Greek U 19 players a new a---hole, including one that I know personally-Evan Turner. If Matta keeps that freshman crew together for another year or two, they'll be playing for a national championship. Ohio State plays in the very competitive Big Ten, where making the NCAA isn't always the easiest proposition. I would venture to say that Ohio State would probably win most other conferences in the US outside of the SEC, SWC, PAC 10, and maybe Big East, thus ensuring an NCAA bid.

Koufos is a good, not great (yet), talent. Problem, from what I hear, is that he thinks he's a lot better than what he really is, and bears some of the responsibility for OSU not making the NCAA's.

If you want to see a REAL U-19 basketball player, watch Derrick Rose. Then come back and talk your smack about the Greek U-19.

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Well obviously you have no clue.

Ohio State is a national power who went through a rebuilding year after losing the likes of Mike Conley and Greg Oden. They have a freshman dominated team, and many of those freshmen would tear some of the Greek U 19 players a new a---hole, including one that I know personally-Evan Turner. If Matta keeps that freshman crew together for another year or two, they'll be playing for a national championship. Ohio State plays in the very competitive Big Ten, where making the NCAA isn't always the easiest proposition. I would venture to say that Ohio State would probably win most other conferences in the US outside of the SEC, SWC, PAC 10, and maybe Big East, thus ensuring an NCAA bid. 

Koufos is a good, not great (yet), talent. Problem, from what I hear, is that he thinks he's a lot better than what he really is, and bears some of the responsibility for OSU not making the NCAA's.

If you want to see a REAL U-19 basketball player, watch Derrick Rose. Then come back and talk your smack about the Greek U-19.

I dont care who you know personally and think they are better now that you are buddies.....personally I dont think you watched the Euro u18 players...

Im telling you watching the final 4 these are the top teams and the average player on the team is really not very talented in comparison. Obviously its national tams select but these are supposed to be the final 4.... and honestly they look like a bunch of hacks,. They cant shoot, and there very sloppy overall.....

And Im Not even talking about just Greek talent, aside from koufos, matalon, and pappas the kids arent overly great at all to be honest, thats why Greece didnt win the tournament, relying on Koufos who like you say is not as good as he thinks...

point was that I dont see why Matalon and Pappas couldnt be a freshman on these teams without ease.... and these teams are very stupid, very stupid for ignoring the U18 tournaments and not trying to bring in foreigners and relying on these same US highschool circuits to get players...diversity is better, and be honest theres not one player in the NCAA that can stand up to player like Macvan, and nor is there hardly very many playmakers as talented as Teodosic - and these kids would be FRESHMAN...

If i was an NCAA coach with these budgets, I would not miss one U18 tournament or opportunity to miss the top lines of Spanish, Argentines, Greeks, Lithuanians, Serbians etc who will be tommorows world superstars...

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Are you out of your mind kid?

Teodosic? Derrick Rose is the best U-19 player on the planet. No contest. He'd run circles around these European kids. And I watch enough basketball, both European and American, to tell you that definitively. Hell, Greg Oden is 19 and would absolutely cruch what Europe has to offer if healthy. I've been watching basketball longer than you've been alive, and the best point guards I've evr seen at the high school level were Isaiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, and... Derrick Rose. Look what he did tonight.

Evan Turner would be a top tier player RIGHT NOW, in the Euroleague, as a freshman. But of course, you have no clue who Turner is without googling him. And Turner isn't a top 20 NCAA talent, not by a longshot. Look up a guy like Eric Gordon, while you're at it. Or maybe Kevin Love. Or Oj Mayo. Or Michael Beasely. Just to name a few off the top of my head.

To compare apples to apples, put out Olympiakos or PAO's U-19 teams against some of these kids, and then we can talk. Otherwise, allow me to pick an NCAA all star 5 or 10 and then we'll talk. There's some very good basketball talent in Europe, but in no way does it compare depthwise to what can be found in the States.

And no, I'm not buddies with Evan Turner. The kid is young enough to be my son. I'm a board member of an Alumni Association at Turner's alma mate, and I happened to meet the young man a few times last year, along with his high school teammate Demetri McCamey (Illinois).

You seriously have to watch a little more basketball before making ridiculous assertions like these.

FYI, its not very cost effective for NCAA schools to recruit top tier European kids as they'll usually get drafted anyway (like Bagnani, Milicic, etc...) and the remaining talent pool in Europe is so so. NCAA coaches can find a whole lot of better players in the States at a fraction of the price. Nonetheless, there still are quite a few Europeans in the NCAA.

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Are you out of your mind kid?

Teodosic? Derrick Rose is the best U-19 player on the planet. No contest. He'd run circles around these European kids. And I watch enough basketball, both European and American, to tell you that definitively. Hell, Greg Oden is 19 and would absolutely cruch what Europe has to offer if healthy. I've been watching basketball longer than you've been alive, and the best point guards I've evr seen at the high school level were Isaiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, and... Derrick Rose. Look what he did tonight.

Evan Turner would be a top tier player RIGHT NOW, in the Euroleague, as a freshman. But of course, you have no clue who Turner is without googling him. And Turner isn't a top 20 NCAA talent, not by a longshot. Look up a guy like Eric Gordon, while you're at it. Or maybe Kevin Love.

To compare apples to apples, put out Olympiakos or PAO's U-19 teams against some of these kids, and then we can talk. Otherwise, allow me to pick an NCAA all star 5 or 10 and then we'll talk. There's some very good basketball talent in Europe, but in no way does it compare depthwise to what can be found in the States. 

And no, I'm not buddies with Evan Turner. The kid is young enough to be my son. I'm a board member of an Alumni Association at Turner's alma mate, and I happened to meet the young man a few times last year, along with his high school teammate Demetri McCamey (Illinois).

You seriously have to watch a little more basketball before making ridiculous assertions like these.

FYI, its not very cost effective for NCAA schools to recruit top tier European kids as they'll usually get drafted anyway (like Bagnani, Milicic, etc...) and the remaining talent pool in Europe is so so. NCAA coaches can find a whole lot of better players in the States at a fraction of the price. Nonetheless, there still are quite a few Europeans in the NCAA.

I'm sure Im not as old as you, but ironically you're the one here who is acting like a kid, making assumptions, saying "you have no clue" so honestly man show some respect, I welcome an argument or discussion, but you really don't have to be such a condescending douche.

I dont know s%$#! about NCAA, but Im just judging off what I saw tonight in the Final4, which is the top 4 teams in America... Ive already told you that. Its an opinion. Ive seen much better young players than many if not most of these guys in the u18.

Im not saying the NCAA dont have superstars, but the average Larry thats on the first team youd expect to be very good as well - but there not, and I was surprised to see a lot of these kids were pretty mediocre...

And yes Teodosic....Could most definitly play for Kansas or Memphis/ UNC and would be one of the top in the NCAA...... He is a seriously big talent for such a young age like 19. Macvan too, and Pappas/Matalon/Giannoulis are good enough to play in these teams as well also superstar players like Spanish kid Rubio is top player for Badalona and hes still 17... and hes going to play for Spain in the Olympics... so dont act like european talent doesnt compare to whats out there, or that these college kids could waltz into the Euroleague and dominate, because thats stretching the truth by a lot.

As for the cost effectiveness......maybe so. But Im saying at least scout these u18 tournaments...not all of them will be going to the NBA in 1-2 years just like not all the kids from the highschool circuit will be....but yeah also depends on what players actually value an education...some players probably wont go because its not a salaried league (except for the free education, not bad deal IMO)....

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Teodsic wouldn't start at Memphis, because he'd have to take Rose's spot to do so.

Funny thing you're doing is taking the European talent COLLECTIVELY (from ALL Euor teams) and comparing it to that found on FOUR teams in the NCAA. I'm not sure if you're aware of the fact that players like Michael Beasely, OJ Mayo, and Eric Gordon play on teams that didn't make the final four. In order to get a better sample of the relative talent, take ALL of the available talent at U-19 level and compare it. Both in quality and quantity. And then you'll see that while Europe has some excellent talent, COLLECTIVELY it can't compare to what's found in the States. There's no doubt some of the top tier Euro kids could play top level NCAA. Nobody is disputing that. But its quite evident you had another hidden, subtle point you needed to make. To disparage the US-19 level players in the process is ludicrous. Especially when you concede you don't know much about the NCAA.

And for one last time, NCAA coaches DO scout Europe. The fact is, the Euro guys that will be difference makers in their NCAA programs will get drafted by the NBA once they become eligible anyways. With respect to the remaining Euro talent pool, it doesn't make much sense for a college coach to travel halfway around the world to recruit a kid who is going to be no better than a score of kids in his own backyard.

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Koufos to gavros? :tdown:

I think he should wait and finish college before moving to professional. Leave college for Olympiakos? Not the best idea... he has guaratneed first team at Ohio, and will get exposure to American press and media playing in NCAA...also not like its important, he could get an education right :ph34r:

Although from a Greek fan POV, its good to have Koufos playing in Greece. I think he should hold out to play for PAO if he wants to go big :tup: Hell develop faster and be better for the Ethniki to have him in Greece than in America, he can practice more with the team and thats very important, arguably one of the biggest advantages of Greece not having players in the NBA, is that theyre of high quality but also always available to practice with the team because they follow FIBA schedules......

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Indications are that Koufos will leave college and enter the NBA draft, as his first choice, or the Greek League, as his second choice.

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http://www.eurobasket.com/GRE/GRE.asp

Koufos to enter NBA draft

by Kostas Papadopoulos - Apr 22, 2008

According to Ohio State University sources, freshman center Kosta Koufos (213-F/C-89) of Greece decided earlier today that he will declare for the NBA draft but not immediately sign with an agent. Koufos averaged 14.4 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Buckeyes this season, closing with 22 points and nine rebounds in his school's win over Massachusetts in the NIT championship game. However, most word from the US reports that Koufos struggled early in the season and still needs to build strength before he can make an impact at the next level.

There is some speculation that Koufos could sign a lucrative contract to play in Greece, where both Panathinaikos and Olympiakos have reportedly offered him a high-salary, three-year contract; this is surely an interesting possibility for Koufos, especially since he will not go in the first half of the first round of the forthcoming draft. Draft executives estimate that, under current conditions and before his participation in pre-draft camps in Orlando next month or NBA team trainings, Koufos could be selected between 13th and 20th in the forthcoming NBA draft.

The deadline for underclassmen to announce is April 27, and declarations may be withdrawn at any time until June 16.

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  • 2 months later...

The NBA Draft is on Thursday and Greek center, Kostas Koufos, will be picked anywhere from being a lottery pick to a mid first rounder. Let see where he ends up. I feel he should have stayed with Ohio State to develop himself more. He was the MVP of the U18 tournament in Spain last summer and of the NIT tournament this past season and could have accomplished more at the college level. But, hopefully, he knows what he's doing.

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he is also training with the olympic team right now...

is he going to go to the draft, or will he stay with the team?

personally, I think he should go to the draft, then fly the next day back to training. He has to earn his spot and prepare with the team.

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Are you out of your mind kid?

Teodosic? Derrick Rose is the best U-19 player on the planet. No contest. He'd run circles around these European kids. And I watch enough basketball, both European and American, to tell you that definitively. Hell, Greg Oden is 19 and would absolutely cruch what Europe has to offer if healthy. I've been watching basketball longer than you've been alive, and the best point guards I've evr seen at the high school level were Isaiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, and... Derrick Rose. Look what he did tonight.

Evan Turner would be a top tier player RIGHT NOW, in the Euroleague, as a freshman. But of course, you have no clue who Turner is without googling him. And Turner isn't a top 20 NCAA talent, not by a longshot. Look up a guy like Eric Gordon, while you're at it. Or maybe Kevin Love. Or Oj Mayo. Or Michael Beasely. Just to name a few off the top of my head.

To compare apples to apples, put out Olympiakos or PAO's U-19 teams against some of these kids, and then we can talk. Otherwise, allow me to pick an NCAA all star 5 or 10 and then we'll talk. There's some very good basketball talent in Europe, but in no way does it compare depthwise to what can be found in the States.

And no, I'm not buddies with Evan Turner. The kid is young enough to be my son. I'm a board member of an Alumni Association at Turner's alma mate, and I happened to meet the young man a few times last year, along with his high school teammate Demetri McCamey (Illinois).

You seriously have to watch a little more basketball before making ridiculous assertions like these.

FYI, its not very cost effective for NCAA schools to recruit top tier European kids as they'll usually get drafted anyway (like Bagnani, Milicic, etc...) and the remaining talent pool in Europe is so so. NCAA coaches can find a whole lot of better players in the States at a fraction of the price. Nonetheless, there still are quite a few Europeans in the NCAA.

Now remind me once again, who did I say is the best U-19 player on the planet?

He wouldn't have happened to be the first overall pick, would he?

And how about the other guys I mentioned (Beasely, Mayo, Gordon)?

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