Koufos Lands in Salt Lake

By Alex King

Kosta Koufos speaks with the media: 1 | 2 | 3 (mp3 opens in media player)

SALT LAKE CITY (June 27, 2008) – With the 23rd pick in the 2008 draft the Utah Jazz took center Kosta Koufos from Ohio State University and on Friday afternoon the seven-foot Canton, Ohio native landed in Salt Lake where was introduced to Utah media. Koufos will wear #41 for the Jazz, becoming the first Jazzman to wear the number since Thurl Bailey in 1998-99.

Koufos, 19, averaged 14.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game for OSU as a freshman last season, while earning both third team All-Big Ten honors and the conference’s All-Freshman team. He was fifth in the Big Ten in points (14.4 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg) and finished second in blocked shots (1.8 bpg). His 534 total points were second all-time for a freshman in Ohio State history. Koufos shot .508 from the field, seventh in the Big Ten, and was a .349 shooter from beyond the arc. He scored 20-plus points six different times, including a career high 24 points during a preseason NIT game against Syracuse.

During Ohio State’s run through the postseason tournament, Koufos was a major force. He was named the MVP and was added to the All-Tournament Team while averaging 18.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. In the championship game against Massachusetts, he scored 22 points while grabbing nine rebounds and blocking three shots as the Buckeyes won the NIT title 92-85.

Jazz President Randy Rigby was glad to welcome the Koufos’s to Salt Lake: “It’s an honor to have him here. We’re excited to have Kosta and his mother Kathy as a part of the Jazz family.”

Kevin O’Connor, Jazz General Manager, shared similar sentiments. “We’re very happy to have a player that we think can contribute to the Jazz, but also a person that we feel will also be a credit not only to himself and his family, but also to the Utah Jazz and the state of Utah.”

Koufos admitted that he was excited at the chance to play with the Jazz: “It was a blessing. God gave me the opportunity to play basketball and I was fortunate enough to get picked in the first round, especially to the Utah Jazz.”

Coming into a city where the Jazz are the top professional sports team might be tough for some, but Koufos is thrilled. “The Utah Jazz is the main event here,” he explained. “There’s a great fan base and I’m (excited) for all the support. I’m just here to work hard and have fun.”

He’s especially eager to play for Head Coach Jerry Sloan: “He’s a great guy. He knows a lot about the game, (he’s a) Hall of Fame coach and I’m (fortunate) to learn from a coach of his stature. I’m going to soak up as much information as possible, and this is a great situation for me. I’m going to learn a lot and I feel like I can excel at this next level.”

The big man’s skill set is something O’Connor adds to the organization. “There’s such a premium on shooting in this league, and with the point guard that we have, I believe this is a very good fit. He’s a very skilled big man who at age 19 is 265 pounds and seven feet. We don’t have to put a body on him, he already has one. We’re excited about it.”

As a seven foot shooter, Koufos is bound to draw comparisons to current Jazz big man Mehmet Okur. O’Connor explained the similarities in their skills: “He’s got some of the same skills as Memo (Okur). He can pass the ball a little bit and he can shoot it a little bit. He seems to know how to get open. One of the things about the franchise is that we believe in productivity. He’s got some of the same skills and he’s actually a little bit bigger than Memo.”

Koufos had his own opinion on the comparisons to Okur: “It’s an honor. Mehmet Okur is a tremendous player and very versatile for his size. He brings a lot to the table.”

Many mock drafts had Koufos as a lottery pick, but after slipping to the 23rd pick on draft day, the center wasn’t worried. “I was cool and calm the whole way through,” he explained. “I felt very confident in my ability and my workouts and I’m just glad I landed in the first round, especially to a great organization.”

O’Connor didn’t think that Koufos would reach the Jazz with the 23rd pick, but was excited that he did: “He didn’t come in to work out for us, and I couldn’t blame him because I really thought he was going to be gone before us. We are happy for it. We got a player that we think eventually can really help us.”

For Koufos, he’s impressed with the current Jazz roster and looks forward to helping the team however he can. “They have a very versatile team, winning 50 plus games,” Koufos said. “They have a great team coming back. I feel like I can help the team and I’m going to work hard and try my best to help win games.”

“I feel very confident in my abilities. As a 19-year-old I guess I’m young, but at the same time I feel I can contribute to the program. Everybody’s got something to work on and I’m going to do that.”