The last time we saw Kosta Koufos he was being named Most Outstanding Player of the NIT and soaking in a postseason title with his Ohio State teammates at Madison Square Garden in New York City. On Thursday night, with the NBA draft proceedings in motion in the Big Apple, the 19-year-old center probably was in a little less of a celebratory mood.
Yes, Koufos was selected in the first round and he was taken by one of the most successful franchises in the league, the Utah Jazz, but his selection of No. 23 overall had to be considered a bit of a disappointment for a prospect who left three years of college eligibility on the table and had reasonable hope of going at the end of the lottery (first 14 picks) entering the night.
It also was eye-opening that Koufos, a product of Canton, Ohio, was passed over by the homestate Cleveland Cavaliers when they selected 19th.
Koufos fared well in his personal workouts by all accounts and the latest mock from Chad Ford of ESPN.com listed him going 14th overall to the Golden State Warriors.
However, the Warriors couldn’t pull the trigger on him at the end of the lottery when he was available and neither could the four franchises in order behind them – Phoenix, Philadelphia, Toronto and Washington – even though all of them opted for centers.
With Cleveland on the clock, ESPN’s Jay Bilas said Kansas forward Darrell Arthur was the top player available followed by Koufos, who Bilas listed as the No. 17 player overall available for the draft.
The Cavaliers went big as well, but tabbed 6-9, 235-pound power forward J.J. Hickson at No. 19 overall.
Koufos’ night soon took a turn for the worse when the Charlotte Bobcats, a team that took Texas point guard D.J. Augustin earlier in the evening with the ninth overall pick and one greatly in need of a power forward, decided to pluck Alexis Ajinca of France with the 20th pick. The 7-0 Ajinca can only be described as a project, although his 7-8 wingspan certainly is enticing.
The Ajinca pick was followed by forward Ryan Anderson of California going No. 21 to New Jersey and shooting guard Courtney Lee of Western Kentucky going No. 22 to Orlando. Commissioner David Stern finally announced Koufos’ name at 9:42 p.m. Eastern time as he went next to the Jazz.
In an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune, Koufos discussed his long wait.
"I was just cool and calm the whole way through," Koufos said. "I felt very confident with my abilities and my workouts. I was just glad I landed in the first round and especially to a great organization."
A former McDonald’s All-American after a standout career at Canton GlenOak, Koufos ranked second on the Buckeyes to Jamar Butler in scoring last season at 14.4 points per game and led OSU in rebounds (6.7) and shot blocking (1.8). He continued to make strides during the season and was dominant in OSU’s 5-0 run through the NIT, averaging 18.2 ppg and shooting an impressive 66.7 percent from the field.
“Kosta Koufos meant a great deal to our program,” said OSU coach Thad Matta said. “We are excited for him because he had a goal to play at the next level and he’ll now have a chance to do so.”
Since 1947, 45 Ohio State basketball players have been drafted by NBA teams, including 20 first round selections.
“We tell our guys to take advantage of the opportunities and resources available in college to reach their goals,” Matta said. “Over the last two years we’ve had four freshmen realize their dreams by being selected in the first round of the NBA draft. I am proud of the players who have gone on to the next level and look forward to watching them compete for many years to come.”
Throughout his one season at Ohio State, Koufos showed flashes of brilliance and logged several noteworthy efforts. He proved he could play effectively out of the pick-and-roll and hit face-up jumpers from just about every spot on the edge of the three-point arc and inside of it.
However, in the end he did little to overcome his reputation as a relatively “soft” post player.
“He’s a finesse center that’s got an excellent skill level, and he’s got very, very good hands,” Bilas said moments after Koufos was selected. “He’s got a jump hook, a little turnaround jumper. He’s right-hand dominant and you’ve been able to sit on his left shoulder and maybe force a turnaround jumper fading away against him, but he can face up and hit his shot from deep, and I think he’s got the potential to get better and better. He’s not a great athlete and I think he needs to get stronger and he needs to become a better rebounder and interior defender, but I think he’s got a lot of potential. He’s got a lot of tools to work with.”
Memphis point guard Derrick Rose was taken first overall by his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls. He was followed by Miami’s pick of Kansas State forward Michael Beasley while Minnesota opted for USC guard O.J. Mayo third.
The rest of the top 10 included UCLA guard Russell Westbrook No. 4 to Seattle and his Bruin teammate, center Kevin Love, going fifth to the Memphis Grizzlies. Picks six through 10, in order went thusly: forward Danilo Gallinari of Italy to New York, guard Eric Gordon of Indiana to the Los Angeles Clippers, forward Joe Alexander of West Virginia to Milwaukee, Augustin to Charlotte and center Brook Lopez of Stanford to New Jersey.
Draft Notes
* Koufos became the fourth Buckeye in two years to be taken in the NBA draft, all of them in the first round. Last year, outgoing OSU center Greg Oden went first overall to Portland, point guard Mike Conley Jr. was taken fourth by Memphis and shooting guard Daequan Cook followed at No. 21 by Philadelphia, a pick that was traded immediately to Miami. That marked the first time three freshmen from the same school were taken in the first round of one draft.
* A record 10 college freshmen were selected in the first round of the draft after eight went in the top 30 last year. Koufos’ slection actually set the record as he was ninth frosh taken out of the first 23 picks.
* Power forward Serge Ibaka of the Congo went with the pick after Koufos, going No. 24 to Seattle. Incoming OSU center B.J. Mullens raved about the 6-10, 220-pound Ibaka after facing him last August in New Orleans in the adidas Nations tournament.
* ESPN.com analyst Fran Fraschilla, a onetime assistant coach at Ohio State, recently listed Mullens as the second-best prospect at the moment looking ahead to next year’s NBA draft. Fraschilla tabbed Oklahoma power forward Blake Griffin, who is 6-9 and 240 pounds, atop the list just ahead of the 7-1 Mullens.
* One of the rumors leading up to draft day was that Miami Heat president Pat Riley was not sold on Beasley at No. 2 and a report surfaced that he was considering trading that pick to Memphis for the No. 5 overall pick, forward and leading rebounder Mike Miller and Conley. Fortunately for Grizzlies fans – but maybe not for Conley – that deal never took place.
* ESPN urged viewers to continue watching its draft coverage of the second round, pointing out that several key contributors and even a few All-Stars have been taken after the first round. One of the examples the network used was Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Redd, who was taken 43rd overall in 2000 out of Ohio State. Redd is a multiple All-Stars, the Bucks’ leading scorer and earlier in the week was selected to the United State Senior National Team that will compete in the Beijing Olympics this summer.
