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Ohio State Basketball
2008-09
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Kosta Koufos is Selected by Utah with the 23rd Pick
June 26, 2008 9:45 pm EST
During the last twenty years, there have been very few NBA draft picks from Ohio State. Now the school has had 4 drafted in the first round over the last two years. Kosta Koufos left school after only one year in college, and was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 23rd pick of the 2008 NBA draft.
There has been some talk that the Cavaliers may pick him up with the 19th pick and keep him in state. But once the draft came up, they decided on JJ Hickson from North Carolina State. Koufos was the 7th Center selected and was the 9th Freshman. This was the first year ever freshman where taken with the first three picks.
At Ohio State, Koufos made 22 3-pointers during his freshman year while averaging 14.4 points and 6.7 rebounds. He is considered to have plenty of upside, with good athleticism and an NBA-ready body, but is still fairly raw. Led Ohio State to an NIT championship and was named the tournament's most outstanding player as he averaged 18.2 points on 65.6 percent shooting in five games, capped by a 22-point, nine-rebound performance in the final against Massachusetts. Prefers to fade away for jumpers as opposed to go strong to the basket, thus limiting his opportunities at the free-throw line. A decent shot-blocker, having finished second in the Big Ten in 2007-08 with 67 blocks, who shows decent lateral movement at the defensive end. Must not shy away from contact as much at the pro level, particularly with his lack of quickness. Decent rebounder who could long be a good post presence in a league short on talented centers. Can cause matchup problems because few players of his height play so well on the perimeter. Has decent hands and average ball-handling ability but must improve his passing skills, particularly if he faces double teams in the post, after totaling just 19 assists in 37 college games.
Buckeyes Add West Virginia and Notre Dame to the Schedule
June 21, 2008 7:15 pm EST
Ohio State has announced it will have a home and home series with West Virginia the next two years. This should make Mountaineer Head Coach Bob Huggins happy. He tried for years to get a game schedule with the Buckeyes while he was in Cincinnati leading the Bearcats. This series will start on December 27th in Value City Arena and during the 2009-10 season the game will be played in Morgantown, W.Va.
It was also announced the Scarlet & Gray will play Notre Dame this season.
Everyone in Camp this Year for the Buckeyes
June 15, 2008 8:30 pm EST
Last year, the Buckeyes took too long to get everyone on the same page and it kept them out the the NCAA tournament. They got it together in time to win the NIT tournament, but I am sure that if you asked any one of them on the team, they would have all wanted to go to the Big Dance.
This year the team will be together much sooner. Last year David Lighty and Kosta Koufos were playing overseas during the summer and missed out on the the team drills and conditioning. I guess Coach Matta learned a lesson from that for this season as BJ Mullens, from Canal Winchester, three other freshmen and two junior-college transfers moved on campus today to join the rest of the team for the start of summer classes today. They will remain there until late August.
Mullens will share a suite in the team dormitory with fellow freshmen William Buford, Anthony Crater and Walter Offutt. The four comprise what Rivals.com rated the nation's No. 6 recruiting class for 2008. Mullens is ranked No. 1 among all players in the class, the same ranking given Oden in 2006.
Mullens was not willing to tip his hand on whether or not he will be the 5th player in 3 years to play just one year and then leave for the NBA. He did indicate that he thought Oden made the right choice to leave but thought that Koufos should have stayed for another year. I guess we will know more on that in a couple of weeks when the NBA holds their 2008 draft.
Also, Mullens may actually get to play against Oden some this summer. Both Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr are enrolled in summer classes at OSU and could find their way into the gym. Oden still awaits the his final medical clearance from his knee surgery from last fall.
Home-Home Series Scheduled With 2007-08 NCAA Runner-Up
May 5, 2008 6:15 pm EST
During the 2008-09 season the Buckeyes will be scheduled to play in Memphis against the Tigers, a finalist in the NCAA tournament this past season. The Conference USA champion will return the favor by coming to Value City Arena in the 2009-2010 campaign.
Ohio State Will Not Lose a Scholarship - at Least For Now
April 30, 2008 7:30 pm EST
Kosta Koufos' departure will not cost a men's basketball scholarship, at least in the short term. And Greg Oden's early exit last year won't result in a lost scholarship either, according to Ohio State faculty athletics representative John Bruno.
Bruno said today that the NCAA has approved Ohio State's academic improvement plan for basketball and informed the school it is likely to escape penalty for a deficient Academic Progress Rate score. Oden, unlike fellow freshmen Mike Conley Jr. and Daequan Cook, did not complete spring quarter last year, hurting Ohio State's APR score.
Koufos announced his intention Tuesday night to do the same as Oden and leave school to prepare for the NBA draft or play professionally in Europe. Koufos' departure doesn't affect Ohio State's APR score for this year, but it could hurt for 2009.
Also, Nicola Kecman's junior-college coach said the forward planned to sign his letter-of-intent today to play for the Buckeyes. The 6-9 Kecman, of Belgrade, Serbia, played at Eastern Arizona College. He will have three seasons of eligibility
Eric Wallace to Leave Team
April 24, 2008 6:45 am EST
Eric Wallace, 6' 5" forward has asked to be released from his scholarship and will transfer at the end of the spring quarter according to a statement from the athletic department. Wallace was one of four Freshmen on the team and appears to be the second to leave. He played in 15 games and averaged 1.8 points per game. It appears the primary reason for leaving was the prospect of getting little playing time again next season.
This would be a total of 5 first year players to leave the program after only one year at Ohio State in the past two seasons. Coach Thad Matta will now have two more scholarships available and is looking at 6' 2" guard Jeremie Simmons of Chicago and 6' 9" forward Nicola Kecman of Serbia.
The spring signing period ends May 21st.
Kosta Koufos Appears to Be Heading to NBA
April 21, 2008 9:15 am EST
FOXSports is reporting that Freshman Kosta Koufos will declare for the NBA draft, according to sources close to the situation. Koufos averaged 14.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game for the Buckeyes. He had 22 points and nine rebounds in Ohio State's victory against UMass in the NIT championship, but he struggled early in the season and still needs to get stronger before he can make an impact at the next level. He can shoot from three-point range but does not have the strength and skill to play inside. It would have been very interesting to see how he played next season with BH Mullens.
Sources told FOXSports.com that Koufos will not yet hire an agent. There has also been speculation that Koufos could sign a lucrative contract to play overseas in Greece, where his mother is from, if he isn't expected to go in the first half of the first round.
The deadline for underclassmen to announce is April 27.
Ohio State Will Play Miami in ACC-Big Ten Challenge
April 16, 2008 8:00 am EST
Ohio State will play the University of Miami in the 2008 ACC-Big Ten Challenge. The conferences and ESPN announced the lineup of 11 games yesterday. The Buckeyes and Hurricanes will meet December 2nd in Coral Gables, FL., in Miami's 7,000-seat BankUnited Center.
Miami will return four starters and its top five scorers from a team that finished 23-11 this past season, tied for fifth place in the ACC and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Hurricanes lost to Texas in the second round.
The full schedule is not expected to be released until August.
Koufos Talking to Agents
April 15, 2008 9:30 pm EST
Doesn't it seem like we were in this same situation last year? I don't know about you but I am ready for the days when players played out their full four years.
The mother of Ohio State freshman Kosta Koufos has interviewed sports agents seeking to represent her son, but Kathy Koufos said it is not an indication that Kosta has decided to leave Ohio State to play professional basketball next season. The deadline for college underclassmen to enter the NBA draft is April 27. Kathy Koufos said it is still "up in the air" whether Kosta will announce his decision this week or next.
Mike Conley Sr., who represents his son, Mike Jr., and two other former Ohio State players, Greg Oden and Daequan Cook, said he met with Kathy Koufos last week to discuss representing Kosta on behalf of BDA Sports Management, whose clients include NBA stars Yao Ming, Steve Nash and Carmelo Anthony. Kathy Koufos also met with Cleveland-based agent Mark Termini, said a source with NBA contacts.
Buckeyes Look for the Next Recruit
April 14, 2008 11:45 pm EST
With signs perhaps leaning toward Koufos leaving, Ohio State coach Thad Matta last week stepped up recruitment of junior-college player Josh Harrellson, a 6-foot-9, 260-pound freshman at Southwestern Illinois College. Ohio State is among eight schools that the projected power forward is considering. Harrellson is scheduled to visit Kentucky this weekend. A Koufos exit would give Matta two scholarships to offer for next season. He is looking to fortify the point guard position with the other.
Matta visited 6-2 Jeremie Simmons of Mott Community College in Flint, MI., on Sunday, Mott coach Steve Schmidt said. The Buckeyes also have shown interest in 6-2 Devan Dumes of Vincennes (Ind.) University.
The spring signing period begins Wednesday and continues through May 21.
Buckeye 50 Continues our Ohio State Basketball Coverage
April 10, 2008 8:00 pm EST
Two years ago, I tried adding Basketball to our coverage and you responded with 2300 page hits. For last season, you increased that to 3600 visits, so we are just getting started. I can promise you the 2008-09 season will bring even more basketball coverage and I know you will responded by maintaining your loyalty to B50. Thanks again for your continued support.
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