Greek Goodness

Posted by Tim Gittins on December 15, 2008

When Jazz fans were introduced to this year’s first round draft pick many of them were quick to exclaim, “Wow, he speaks really good English.” I’m speaking of course about Kosta Koufos, the 7′1 center the Jazz drafted out of Ohio State with the 23rd overall pick. Although he is of Greek heritage, most Jazz fans know by now that he was actually born in Canton, Ohio. Although he plays for the Greek National Team, Kosta holds dual citizenship in Greece and the United States.

While the man with the oddly shaped dome may not make the cover of GQ any time soon, it appears he’s already got some NBA level talent and only has room to improve. When he is on the court it’s easy to forget that Kosta is only 19 years old. For someone so young he has displayed a decent array of skills such as scoring, shot-blocking, shooting range, rebounding and athleticism. According to his current statistics, if Kosta’s minutes per game were multiplied out to three quarters per game instead of the one that he averages his numbers would be 13.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.7 blocks. Those aren’t exactly all-star numbers, but not bad at all for a 19 year old rookie playing for Jerry Sloan.

In the weeks leading up to this years draft, a lot of analysts were comparing Kosta to Mehmet Okur. It was an easy comparison, as both are big Caucasian centers with a sweet shooting stroke and game experience in foreign leagues. Despite some general similarities there are actually quite a few differences. Memo is the better shooter with greater range, and Kosta is the better shot blocker with more athleticism. In addition, Kosta has never sported Memo’s “I slept in my car last night hair-do” and is not married to a super-model. Hopefully Kosta will look to Memo as a source of inspiration. If being a baller can help a guy like Mehmet Okur marry Miss Turkey, then there is surely hope for a guy who looks like a cross between Michael Phelps and Sloth from Goonies. He’s just got to keep working on those basketball skills.

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2 Comments

snowtreemt on December 15, 2008 said:

I gotta say: Michael Phelps and Sloth! That had me in stitches for like 10 minutes! My students didn’t know what to make of it!

Boondock Saint on December 16, 2008 said:

You’re right Phelps and Sloth…….so true,

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