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U18 MVP Kostas Koufos in action


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I opened this thread about Koufos' final performance against Serbia because he could be the best Greek player since Galis and maybe even bigger.

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hes a great player but lets not call him a Gallis yet.....he needs to be a Papaloukas - very strong, talented player that works great as a TEAM member.....the U18 vs Lithuania based the whole game around him and he had like 40 points and 20 rbs- great player, but he should be about fitting into the Greek system, not fitting the system around him - if we work him in correctly but dont base it around him, with exp in Papaloukas, Fotsis, newer talent in Vassilopoulos, Spanoulis and even newer guys like Koufos, Matalon & Pappas - we are not going to be stopped- by ANYONE.

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Evalagoal, I am related to Diamantidis. He is a third cousin and came from the same village that my parents came from in Kastoria. As for Koufos, no. But I am excited about him because he will be a big player in the NBA and a bigger player with our national team and will follow his games at Ohio State

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although Koufos will be good, I think he should play a bit of NBA then go to Europe...

Part of the advantage Greece is so good is because all of our players can practice together and get accustomed to each other, if Koufos is in NBA he wont be able to be involved on the team like the rest of the players...

besides NBA is great whatever, but as a career Europe......seriously who the hell wants to live in Ohio or Denver some crappy city as opposed to Athens, Barcelona, Rome, Madrid, Venice.... thats the good life, you win titles, REAL fans, you play with the national team, play in europe/travel, only 1-2 games a week, good money and youre a star...... money really the only real advantage in NBA IMO....

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hey is koufos eligeble to play for the states?

JW hopefully he doesnt want to :gr:

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

Posted Image

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.

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Koufos stands out in Europe

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/conte...BS.html?sid=101

Koufos warms up for OSU in Greece

http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=3725...ubCategoryID=29

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Nick Calathes, a Greek-American playing for Florida this year. 2 greek-americans and 2 native greeks playing for the NCAA this year:

http://nbadraft.net/admincp/profiles/nickcalathes.html

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hey is koufos eligeble to play for the states?

JW hopefully he doesnt want to :gr:

Koufos is from the States...
I no but since he has played for the u18 team of Greece is legal for him to play for the Us national team?
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Kostas Koufos is ranked 3rd amongst college center propsects in NCAA:

http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/vie...asp?ra_key=1437

Ranked 3rd in Ohio Hoops rankings:

http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/vie...asp?ra_key=1631

Ranked 16th overall amongst prospects:

http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/vie...asp?ra_key=1611

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nick Calathes

Ranked 1st in Florida hoops:

http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewrank.asp?ra_key=1630

Ranked 3rd in point guard prospects:

http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewrank.asp?ra_key=1439

Ranked 14th overall amongst prospects (2 spots higher than Koufos)

http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewrank.asp?ra_key=1611

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Ohio State's schedule for the 2007-2008 season

Preseason NIT

Mon, Nov 12 Columbia vs. Delaware State at Columbus, Ohio 6:00 p.m.

Mon, Nov 12 Wisconsin-Green Bay Columbus, Ohio 9:00 p.m.

ESPN2

Tue, Nov 13 TBA Columbus, Ohio 6:00 p.m.

ESPN

Tue, Nov 13 Columbia or Delaware State Columbus, Ohio 9:00 p.m.

Wed, Nov 21 TBA at New York, NY TBA

ESPN2

Fri, Nov 23 TBA at New York, NY TBA

ESPN2

Sun, Nov 25 VMI St. John Arena - Columbus, Ohio 8:00 p.m.

BTN

Big Ten/ACC Challenge

Wed, Nov 28 North Carolina Columbus, Ohio 9:00 p.m.

ESPN

Sat, Dec 01 Butler at Indianapolis, Ind. 7:30 p.m.

ESPNU

Mon, Dec 10 Coppin State Columbus, Ohio 8:00 p.m.

BTN

Sat, Dec 15 Presbyterian College Columbus, Ohio 12:00 p.m.

BTN

Tue, Dec 18 Cleveland State at Cleveland, Ohio 7:00 p.m.

TBA

Sat, Dec 22 Florida Columbus, Ohio 4:00 p.m.

CBS

Sat, Dec 29 Maryland-Baltimore County Columbus, Ohio 11:00 a.m.

BTN

Thu, Jan 03 Illinois * at Champaign, Ill. 8:00 p.m.

ESPN

Sun, Jan 06 Northwestern * Columbus, Ohio 12:00 p.m.

BTN

Wed, Jan 09 Iowa * Columbus, Ohio 7:00 p.m.

BTN

Sat, Jan 12 Purdue * at West Lafayette, Ind. 4:00 p.m.

BTN

Tue, Jan 15 Michigan State * at East Lansing, Mich. 7:00 p.m.

ESPN

Sat, Jan 19 Tennessee at Knoxville, Tenn. 3:30 p.m.

CBS

Tue, Jan 22 Illinois * Columbus, Ohio 9:00 p.m.

BTN

Sat, Jan 26 Minnesota * Columbus, Ohio 8:00 p.m.

BTN

Tue, Jan 29 Penn State * at University Park, Penn. 7:00 p.m.

ESPN

Sat, Feb 02 Iowa * at Iowa City, Iowa 6:00 p.m.

BTN

Tue, Feb 05 Michigan * Columbus, Ohio 7:00 p.m.

ESPN

Sun, Feb 10 Indiana * Columbus, Ohio 1:00 p.m.

CBS

Wed, Feb 13 Northwestern * at Evanston, Ill. 9:00 p.m.

BTN

Sun, Feb 17 Michigan * at Ann Arbor, Mich. 1:00 p.m.

CBS

Sat, Feb 23 Wisconsin * Columbus, Ohio TBA Date TBA

ESPN, BTN

Sun, Feb 24 Wisconsin * Columbus, Ohio TBA Date TBA

CBS

Tue, Feb 26 Indiana * at Bloomington, Ind. 7:00 p.m.

ESPN

Sat, Mar 01 Minnesota * at Minneapolis, Minn. TBA Date TBA

ESPN, BTN

Sun, Mar 02 Minnesota * at Minneapolis, Minn. TBA Date TBA

CBS

Tue, Mar 04 Purdue * Columbus, Ohio TBA Date TBA

ESPN, BTN

Wed, Mar 05 Purdue * Columbus, Ohio TBA Date TBA

BTN

Thu, Mar 06 Purdue * Columbus, Ohio TBA Date TBA

ESPN, ESPN2, BTN

Sun, Mar 09 Michigan State * Columbus, Ohio TBA

BTN, ESPN, CBS

Big Ten Tournament

Thu, Mar 13 TBA * at Indianapolis, Ind. TBA

TBA

Fri, Mar 14 TBA * at Indianapolis, Ind. TBA

TBA

Sat, Mar 15 TBA * at Indianapolis, Ind. TBA

TBA

Sun, Mar 16 TBA * at Indianapolis, Ind. TBA

TBA

* Conference Games

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This is truelly a great article and Koufos is going to be propably the future of the Greek NT.I am looking forward of watching this kid more closely on ESPN.Plato-ny and loup,can you do me a favor and remind me/us when he is going to be on tv again,like a reminder that day?thank u guys.

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^ Many of the Ohio State games will be on ESPN and CBS so check your local listings. One of my recent posts in this thread has the team's schedule

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Kostas Koufos in action against Illinois:

http://www.goal4replay.net/VideoWatchF.asp...p?ID=3654&Ln=En

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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.

"Koufos came into the season looking like a lock for the top 10 (picks), and a possible top-five pick. … Although his overall numbers are very solid for a freshman, Koufos has come up seriously lacking against major opponents. His excellent play for the Greek (junior) national team this past summer seems to have carried over only so far.

"Don't get me wrong, scouts still think Koufos is a terrific prospect with great size, basketball IQ and the ability to stretch the defense with a silky smooth jumper. But his inconsistency against college big men, lack of rebounding and so-so shot-blocking numbers all have the scouts saying he may need to wait another year if he really wants to strike gold in the upper half of the lottery. If he were to declare now, scouts believe he would go somewhere between the late lottery (first 14 picks) and mid-first round."

Source

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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."

Source

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OSU coach continues to see improvement in Kosta Koufos

BY Mike Popovich

REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

The big guy is making some big strides.

Posted ImagePUTTING ONE UP Ohio State's Kosta Koufos shoots over Indiana's D.J. White during Sunday's game in Columbus. OSU Head Coach Thad Matta says he continues to see improvement in Koufos' game.

AP TERRY GILLIAM

Head Coach Thad Matta certainly likes the improvement he is seeing in Kosta Koufos' low post game. Ohio State's 7-foot center from GlenOak High School is coming off an 18-point, 9-rebound outing in Sunday's loss to Indiana. One of Koufos' eight baskets came on a spin move around a defender along the baseline.

"Dating back to the second half of the Tennessee game (Jan. 19), I thought he started making some big strides," Matta said. "I've been very pleased with the progress he's making."

Koufos leads Big Ten freshmen in rebounding (6.7 per game), blocked shots (45), offensive rebounds (62) and defensive rebounds (98).

"He got a couple of rebounds Sunday that were out of his area," Matta said. "He tipped them, kept them alive and snatched them."

Reach Repository sports writer Mike Popovich at (330) 580-8341 or e-mail: [email protected]

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Rubio named FIBA Europe Young Men's Player of the Year

(Koufos came in 4th place)

MUNICH (Young Men's Player of the Year) - The votes are in and Spain and DKV Joventut star Ricky RUBIO has been named the FIBA Europe Young Men's Player of the Year.

Rubio won handily in a vote of both fans and an expert panel of basketball journalists, players and coaches. Milos Teodosic of Serbia and Olympiacos finished second while Marco Belinelli of Italy and the NBA's Golden State Warriors won a close battle for third with fellow Italian Danilo Gallinari and Konstantinos Koufos of Greece.

Rubio led Spain to a fifth place finish at the Under-18 European Championship Men in August, where he averaged 19.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists per contest while shooting nearly 50% from behind the three-point line.

He has been playing a bigger part for club side DKV Joventut as well, averaging 12.5 points per contest, second only to last year's Young Men's Player of the Year Rudy Fernandez, while dishing out 3.5 assists per game.

"It's been clear in the last few seasons that Ricard Rubio is one of the most exciting young players in Europe or any part of the world for that matter." Said FIBA Europe President George Vassilakopoulos.

"His exploits for both country and club make him a very deserving winner."

"I still remember his performance at the Under-16 European Championship Men two years ago (51 points, 24 rebounds and 12 assists)," commented FIBA Europe Secretary General Nar Zanolin. "I think we all knew then and there that we were watching someone special."

The second place finisher Teodosic also had an impressive year leading Serbia to gold at the Under-20 European Championship Men and playing a significant role in the senior team's efforts at EuroBasket 2007 in Spain.

Young Men Poy

1. Ricky Rubio, Spain

2. Milos Teodosic, Serbia

3. Marco Belinelli, Italy

4. Konstantinos Koufos, Greece

5. Danilo Gallinari, Italy

6. Milan Macvan, Serbia

7 Nicolas Batum, France

8. Alexey Shved, Russia

9. Vladimir Dasic, Montenegro

10. Mladen Jeremic, Serbia

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