After early exits by one-and-done centers Greg Oden and Kosta Koufos following the last two seasons -- and with incoming freshman B.J. Mullens expected to follow suit -- the Ohio State coaching staff has been searching diligently for another post presence. Ironically, the staff found another 7-footer of Greek descent, UAB frosh Zisis Sarikopoulos, who will join the program later this summer and sit out the 2008-09 campaign.
With a great need for size and few prospects in the 2009 class from which to choose, Ohio State coach Thad Matta wasn’t about to turn his back on a promising 7-footer able to help the program a little more than a year from now.
So when Zisis Sarikopoulos (ZIZ-is SAR-uh-cope-uh-liss) of Greece informed the staff that he wanted to be a Buckeye he was welcomed with open arms – all the way from another continent.
A 7-0, 265-pound center, Sarikopoulos will transfer in from the University of Alabama-Birmingham after he is done playing for the Under-18 Greek national team, meaning he could be on campus by mid- to late August. The youngster – Sarikopoulos didn’t turn 18 until March 31 – will have to sit out the upcoming season but he will have three years of eligibility beginning in the fall of 2009.
That would appear to be ideal timing since it’s very possible and in fact likely that incoming freshman B.J. Mullens will leave the program after the 2008-09 season, running the program’s string to three of well-rated 7-foot freshman centers opting for a “one-and-done” jump to the NBA.
Sarikopoulos would give Ohio State “a safety net for if and when B.J. leaves” said a reliable source close to the situation. “Plus, he’s a very good prospect. He’s a little bit raw mechanically but he’s got some good basic skills and can really run the floor and help out in a lot of areas. He’ll be with the staff for a whole year before he would be able to play, which really puts him in proper alignment with his age.”
After playing last summer on the Greek junior national team with eventual OSU center Kosta Koufos, Sarikopoulos averaged just 1.8 points and 1.1 rebounds per game as a frosh at UAB under head coach Mike Davis. However, he was a 17-year-old who was altogether unfamiliar with the American game and wasn’t even yet fluent in English when he joined the program. In fact, he didn’t even know where Birmingham was, arriving almost blindly because of a connection his coaches had to a UAB assistant.
With Koufos in a starring role and Sarikopoulos a supporter last August, the Greece junior national team finished second in the 2007 Euro Championships. Sarikopoulos averaged 7.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.1 steals per game in that competition.
He also helped his club team, Olympiakos B.C., to a second-place finish in the country. He averaged right around 20 points and 16 rebounds per game, both team highs.
Prior to joining the Blazers in Alabama, Sarikopoulos’ only other appearance in the United States came earlier in 2007, when Michael Jordan hand-selected him as the representative of Greece to compete at the Jordan Brand All-American Classic in New York City. Sarikopoulos was one of 13 international standouts to play in that event.
Sarikopoulos, though, has had a strained experience overseas so far. He reportedly was not happy at UAB and Davis, perhaps feeling rused after his assistant rolled the dice and brought in a green foreign player, decided not to redshirt him yet inserted the youngster into just 20 of the team’s 34 games for an average of 6.8 minutes per appearance.
Known as “Big Z” by his teammates, Sarikopoulos earned a season-high 16 minutes and scored a season-high eight points in a win over Eastern Kentucky. He pulled down a personal best four rebounds in a rout of Alabama State Jan. 2 but played in just three games after Feb. 5.
Almost immediately after his freshman season ended, Sarikopoulos trekked north to Ohio State before heading back to Europe. A source close to the program said that visit was very productive as the coaches got to meet in person a young man of Greek descent with impressive academic credentials, a much improved grasp of the English language and a thirst to develop and contribute at the Division I level.
The OSU coaches apparently believe they can mold Sarikopoulos in the next 15 months, giving them a true center to either mesh inside with Mullens and Dallas Lauderdale or perhaps even play a more prominent role.
“Zisis will give us a physical presence and some size,” Matta said in a statement issued by the university on Thursday. “We have a year to work with him on getting stronger and learning our system. He entered college at only 17 years old. He will help immediately in practice. We are excited about his decision to join our program.”
With Sarikopoulos on the way, Ohio State will be at the NCAA limit this fall with 13 scholarship players. The roster also will include two returning walk-on players, 6-2 senior Danny Peters and 6-4 junior Mark Titus, and another walk-on, 6-9 J.J. Grycko, although Grycko’s inclusion has not yet been announced by OSU.
Grycko helped Cincinnati Moeller to the 2007 state championship then moved on to attend the Air Force Academy Prep School this past season. According to a recent report, Grycko already is enrolled and is taking pre-med courses at OSU. He averaged 4.1 points per game as a senior at Moeller.
