The Sports Xchange

OVERVIEW

After All-American Greg Oden led the team to the 2006-07 NCAA national championship game, he left the school for the NBA. Enter Kosta Koufos, who guided his team to the NIT title before following Oden in entering the NBA Draft after just one season.

Koufos averaged 14.4 points a game in 2007-08 for the 24-13 Buckeyes, with 6.7 rebounds a game and a team-high 67 blocks. He averaged 18.2 points over the final five games of the season while Ohio State made its run to the 2008 National Invitation Tournament title. His efforts in wins over Mississippi and Massachusetts in the NIT semifinals and finals in New York led to his being named the event MVP.

At GlenOak High School, Koufos earned McDonald's and EA Sports All-American honors after averaging 25.9 points, 15.4 rebounds and 5.2 blocks per game. He was instrumental in GlenOak snapping Canton McKinley's 41-game win streak in January of 2007 when he posted 32 points, 19 rebounds and 10 blocks to help the Golden Eagles edge the Bulldogs, 56-55, in overtime. The next day, Koufos recorded 32 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocks vs. Detroit Country Day, the second-ranked team in the state of Michigan, to lead his squad to its ninth consecutive victory.

Koufos finished second to Ohio State teammate Jon Diebler in the Mr. Ohio Basketball voting. During his senior season, Koufos was named the Division I Player of the Year and was first-team All-State. He also earned first-team Northeast Inland All-District honors. As a junior, Koufos averaged 24 points, 11.1 rebounds and four blocks per game and was named second-team All-State. After that season, he played for the Royal team in the Jordan All-American Classic in Madison Square Garden.

During the summer of 2007, Koufos participated in the Under-18 European championships in Madrid, Spain, for the Greek team. He was named the tournament MVP. He averaged 26.5 points, 13 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots, as he led the national team to the finals against Serbia. In the championship, he recorded 33 points and 13 rebounds to lead Greece to the silver medal. In the semifinal game vs. Lithuania, he recorded 37 points, 20 rebounds and five blocks.

In his only season at Ohio State, Koufos started 35-of-37 games at center for the Buckeyes, as he earned All-Big Ten Conference third-team honors, in addition to being selected to the league's All-Freshman team. He was successful on 50.8 percent of his field goals (222-of-437) from two-point range and made 34.9 percent of his 3-point attempts (22-of-63). He shot 68.0 percent from the free-throw line (68-of-100), finishing with 534 points (14.4 per game). He hauled down 247 rebounds (6.7 per game), blocked 67 shots (1.8 per game) and doled out 19 assists (0.5 per game), to go along with 16 steals (0.4 per game).

After capturing the NIT Tournament Most Valuable Player award, Koufos announced that he would test the NBA waters, applying for early entry to the 2008 draft. He had previously turned down a multi-million dollar offer from Olympiacos Piraeus to play professionally prior to enrolling at Ohio State.

ANALYSIS

Positives: One of a few true centers in the draft, he possesses excellent size, bulk, length and lateral agility for a big man, with a wingspan close to 89 inches ... Shows very good mobility and foot quickness ... Has large, soft hands to secure the post-entry passes and shows an excellent touch with the ball in his hands ... Has shown good aggression in his overall game during his freshman year (compared to his play in the 2007 Michael Jordan camp), doing a nice job of working in the high post ... Even though he was a freshman, he displayed solid leadership skills and became a valid offensive outlet for the team's passing guards ... Has good hands and strong post moves, showing a good feel for the game playing around the basket ... Hard to move out of the paint due to his natural strength ... Demonstrates nice balance and footwork operating in the paint ... Very coachable player who forced the staff to toss him out of the training room ... With his lateral agility, he can come out and challenge the spot-up jump shots and he shows very good agility getting in the face of a perimeter shooter ... One of those rare centers who shows equal skills whether facing or with his back to the basket ... Has an excellent shooter's eye and court vision ... Excels as a face-up shooter with the ability to use the glass to sink jump shots and also is a natural with the ball, as he can put the ball on the floor with ease ... Plays more with finesse when his back is to the basket, which allows him to execute his patented right-handed hook ... Uses his long wingspan and elevation to excel as a shot blocker (67 blocks last year rank third in school history among freshmen) ... Because of his reach and natural hands, he gets a lot of looks 10 feet away from the basket ... Lacks shooting ability with his left hand, but has strong right-handed skills ... Needs to develop better passing skills, but for a big man, he does a decent job of putting the ball on the floor for a short period and has been working on refining his dribbling skills ... Displays a soft touch working down low ... Has a solid mid-range jump shot and shows the ability to pull up and fire from 3-point range ... Good scorer and ball handler from the top of the key ... Has solid shooting skills and has the typical Euro game in that he can work outside-in, or insidue-out in a half-court system ... Has good balance and can take contact and finish...Uses a fadeaway jumper to create space and draw defenders close, setting up the up-and-under move...Has classic arm extension and a high release point that prevents defenders from altering his mid-range shot, where he can also face up or put the ball on the floor ... Efficient free-throw shooter with good elbow bend ... Has a knack for getting behind the defense to attack the offensive glass, as he utilizes his size and length to reach over the opponent to secure the ball and put it back ... Tough defender when playing the low post and does a nice job as a help defender, settling in underneath while tossing strong elbows and shoulders to establish position ... Not really explosive getting up to block shots, but compensates with good timing, reach and huge wingspan ... OSU used mostly a 2-3 zone defense, as this allowed him to park under the rim to maximize his reach and wingspan to get a fair share of boards and blocked shots ... Knows how to use his size effectively as a help defender or on the pick-and-roll ... Mobile and can slide in front of the shooter and, when he faces up with aggression and arms extended, the opponent will generally have to pass out or take the difficult shot.

Negatives: Possibly his biggest weakness is a lack of assertiveness and shooting with his off (left) hand ... Has efficient mid-range ability, but needs more elevation on his jump shot ... Has the size to post up, but prefers to face up and has a tendency to float beyond the arc too much ... Will overuse finesse in the post and needs to develop better determination to attack the basket and draw contact along the way ... Opponents will force him to prove he can handle a mugging with constant physical pressure inside and outside ... Not especially effective at finishing at the rim after contact ... Good 3-point shooter, but will take those shots at the wrong time and needs to do a better job of finding the open shooter ... Can be predictable in the post because he's so right-hand dependent ... Takes too many off-balance shots and by preferring to play in the mid-range or along the perimeter, his shooting percentage is very low for a center (shot just 50.8 percent from the field in 2007-08, the 12th-lowest percentage among major college centers and forwards) ... Uses his size well to squeeze through for the offensive boards, but tends to shy away from contact on the other end of the floor and for a player his size, he should be banging heads with the opponents in the paint more often than he does (at times, it seems like he lacks interest in getting physical and tends to lose confidence, resulting in poor shot selection ... Will never be a force in the paint and lacks the attitude of a defensive stopper.

Compares To: MEHMET OKUR-Utah ... Like Okur, Koufos has the size, wingspan, frame and natural hands to be a solid, finesse-type player at the NBA level. Koufos shows good athleticism and is comfortable playing zone defenses; he also has solid international experience to play the transition game. He has natural scoring skills and moves around well for a big man. He does a good job of setting his feet and shows good touch from long range. He is not explosive attacking the boards, but uses his 89-inch wingspan to alter shots. Still, he is too finesse-oriented and fails to draw contact around the basket. He tends to back away from physicality in the paint and lacks much diversity in his post game. Still, he is one of the few true centers in this draft and while he certainly could have used another year or two of schooling, he could develop quickly as his body continues to mature.

CAREER NOTES:

Koufos scored 534 points in 2007-08, the second-best total by an Ohio State freshman, topped only by Michael Redd's 658 points in 1997-98 ... His average of 14.4 points per game rank fifth in school history for freshmen, listing behind Redd (21.9 ppg, 1997-98), Herb Williams (16.7 ppg, 1977-78), Jim Jackson (16.1 ppg, 1989-90) and Greg Oden (15.7 ppg, 2006-07) ... His 222 field goals made as a freshman rank second on the OSU annual record chart for first-year players ... His 231 rebounds were the fifth-highest season total by a Buckeyes freshman ... His 67 blocked shots are the third-most in a season by a rookie player, ranking behind Greg Oden's 105 in 2006-07 and Herb Williams' 79 in 1977-78 ... Hauled down eight offensive rebounds vs. Virginia Military Institute (11/25/07), the third-best game total by an Ohio State freshman, topped by Greg Oden (nine vs. Purdue in 2007) and Perry Carter (nine vs. Old Dominion in 1988).

2007-08 SEASON

All-Big Ten Conference third-team selection by the league's coaches and media ... Member of the coaches' Big Ten All-Freshman first-team squad ... Started 35-of-37 games at center for the Buckeyes, earning NIT Tournament Most Valuable Player honors ... Scored 534 points (14.4 points per game), the second-highest season total by an OSU freshman ... Connected on 222-of-437 two-point field goals (.508) and hit on 22-of-63 chances (.349) from 3-point range ... Made 68.0 percent of his free throws (68-of-100) and pulled down 247 rebounds (6.7 rebounds per game), the fifth-best season total by a Buckeyes freshman ... Handed out 19 assists while coming up with 16 steals ... Had the third-highest total of blocked shots (67) of any freshman in the history of the school's program ... Scored in double figures in 31 contests and had seven double-double performances ... Blocked at least three shots in nine games.

2007-08 GAME ANALYSIS

Made his collegiate debut with 18 points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes of action vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay ... Was 8-of-12 from the field while putting up 19 points, blocking three shots and grabbing seven rebounds vs. Columbia ... Had his first 20-point game, finishing with 24 on 10-of-17 shooting, as he dished out two assists and had nine boards vs. Syracuse ... Snatched 14 rebounds, including eight off the offensive glass and scored 22 points with two blocks and a pair of assists vs. Virginia Military Institute ... Totaled 16 points to go with Seven rebounds and three blocks vs. Butler ... Tallied 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting vs. Presbyterian and grabbed ten rebounds while putting in 17 points in the Florida contest ... Followed with a dozen rebounds, 12 points and three blocks vs. Maryland-Baltimore County ... Scored 15 points (9-of-10 free throws) and had eight rebounds in the Minnesota game ... Had a stretch of three straight games with at least 10 rebounds, as he crashed the boards 11 times and picked up 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting vs. Northwestern, followed by another 11 rebounds, 19 points and two blocks vs. Michigan and had 10 boards, 10 points and a pair of blocks vs. Wisconsin ... Followed with seven boards and 21 points vs. Indiana, as he also blocked four Hoosier shots ... In the opening round of the NIT Tournament, Koufos had 15 points and four boards vs. North Carolina-Ashville and then scored 17 points on 8-of-10 field goals, chipping in six rebounds over California ... Had 21 points behind 9-of-11 shooting and five rebounds vs. Dayton and collected 16 points with two blocks and seven boards vs. Mississippi ... In the NIT title game, he delivered 8-of-15 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe for 22 points, as he also blocked three shots and grabbed nine rebounds in a 92-85 win over Massachusetts.

INJURY REPORT

HIGH SCHOOL

Attended GlenOak (Canton, Oh.) High School, earning McDonald's and EA Sports All-American honors after averaging 25.9 points, 15.4 rebounds and 5.2 blocks per game ... Was instrumental in GlenOak snapping Canton McKinley's 41-game win streak in January of 2007 when he posted 32 points, 19 rebounds and 10 blocks to help the Golden Eagles edge the Bulldogs, 56-55, in overtime ... The next day, Koufos recorded 32 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocks vs. Detroit Country Day, the second-ranked team in the state of Michigan, to lead his squad to its ninth consecutive victory ... That year, Koufos finished second to present Ohio State teammate Jon Diebler in the Mr. Ohio Basketball voting ... During his senior season, he was named the Division I Player of the Year and was first-team All-State ... Earned first-team Northeast Inland All-District honors ... As a junior, Koufos averaged 24 points, 11.1 rebounds and four blocks per game and was named second-team All-State ... After that season, he played for the Royal team in the Jordan All-American Classic in Madison Square Garden.

SUMMER LEAGUE

During the summer of 2007, Koufos participated in the Under-18 European championships in Madrid, Spain, for the Greek team ... Named the tournament MVP, as he averaged 26.5 points, 13 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots ... Led the national team to the finals against Serbia and in the championship recorded 33 points and 13 rebounds to lead Greece to the silver medal ... In the semifinal game vs. Lithuania, he recorded 37 points, 20 rebounds and five blocks.

PERSONAL

Business major ... Son of Katerina and the late Alex Koufos ... Born 2/24/89 ... Resides in Canton, Ohio.