C Zisis Sarikopoulos (official thread)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Rivals.com (Free)

Ohio State adds Big Man Transfer.............

[LitlBuck]

I think one of the other reasons he might have left UAB besides the fact that Mike Davis is the coach is the fact that they are getting one of the top big men, Cousins, in the country and his playing time probably would not increase very much with Cousins on the team. UAB will probably play a much more up-tempo style with Cousins.

[Jaxbuck]

Originally Posted by crazybuckfan40

A good thing about this is that we don't really need him this year in which is his transfer year, but will give him a great opportunity to learn the system, language barrier if there is any and also get to go up against BJ all the time...

Most Europeans learn English in school and are exposed to it frequently. That year in Alabama may have really messed him up though.

[crazybuckfan40]

Originally Posted by Jaxbuck

Most Europeans learn English in school and are exposed to it frequently. That year in Alabama may have really messed him up though.

LOL...Yeah I am assuming there isn't any, but you never know with the foreign players...

[MaxBuck]

Buckeyes will have some odd lineups for the next couple of years with Kecman, Z, Kyle Madsen, PJ Hill, et al.

[Steve19]

I think a certain high school coach may be coming to a quick understanding about how much his opinion of Thad Matta counts.

[crazybuckfan40]

Hearing that this kid really has the potential to be good...For anyone thinking that this could be like the Kyle Madsen situation and this being a reach, this is not from what I gather...

[buckeydoptimist]

So what are we getting here - I wonder. A very young large body that oozes potential ( according to Jordan's eye and as evidenced by Donovan offering him last year ) or a slow developing kid for which the US college game is too fast/much for him ( as evidenced by so little PT and production at UAB )?

Is he a kid that warranted a FLA offer, and would have been a T50 recruit if he was coming out of US h.s. ( according to Fraschilla supposedly last year )?

Though I remember that VR ( Radinovic ) was said to have been a T100 recruit when we signed him from Serbia via some Canadian h.s. as I remember. I was never a fan of VR's as he played like he was 6'4 ( no power inside or dunking or hops for a mobile 7' and often got his shot blocked by forwards ). It amazes me to look up his stats and see that he actually averaged 10.3 pts 6 rb and shot 65% FG his SR year. He seemed so soft and unproductive on those last couple struggling/putrid teams of JO's. But I'd be thrilled with those numbers from Big Z ( as a backup to Dallas ) LOL.

The good thing is we probably don't NEED HIM to evolve into a monster lottery pick type ( I'd love it if we could finally get lucky with one of these longshot late pick-ups for once tho ). If he can back Dallas up competently for 2 years ( and Sullinger? for another 1 ) that would be just FINE! Just not another KM please! I know many feel he can still help but I am not one of them.

[LitlBuck]

I don't see how you can make the statements that you have made without ever having seen the kid play. I think you can take his stay at UAB with a grain of salt. Please remember who coaches there and how successful he was at IU. If Florida did offer the kid, he must have some potential because Billy Donovan just doesn't go around offering kids that are not going to help the program.

The one thing that you have to remember is that he was hand-picked by MJ who might know a little more bit more about basketball talent than any of us. The one thing you cannot teach is 7'0" and 265 lbs. Maybe he will not be a big offensive performer but with the guys that will be on the floor with him he won't need to be. All he has to do is be a defensive presence and grab some rebounds. I would close my pie hole until we actually see him play in game competition in more than a year.

[jimotis4heisman]

Originally Posted by buckeydoptimist

So what are we getting here - I wonder. A very young large body that oozes potential ( according to Jordan's eye and as evidenced by Donovan offering him last year ) or a slow developing kid for which the US college game is too fast/much for him ( as evidenced by so little PT and production at UAB )?

Is he a kid that warranted a FLA offer, and would have been a T50 recruit if he was coming out of US h.s. ( according to Fraschilla supposedly last year )?

Though I remember that VR ( Radinovic ) was said to have been a T100 recruit when we signed him from Serbia via some Canadian h.s. as I remember. I was never a fan of VR's as he played like he was 6'4 ( no power inside or dunking or hops for a mobile 7' and often got his shot blocked by forwards ). It amazes me to look up his stats and see that he actually averaged 10.3 pts 6 rb and shot 65% FG his SR year. He seemed so soft and unproductive on those last couple struggling/putrid teams of JO's. But I'd be thrilled with those numbers from Big Z ( as a backup to Dallas ) LOL.

The good thing is we probably don't NEED HIM to evolve into a monster lottery pick type ( I'd love it if we could finally get lucky with one of these longshot late pick-ups for once tho ). If he can back Dallas up competently for 2 years ( and Sullinger? for another 1 ) that would be just FINE! Just not another KM please! I know many feel he can still help but I am not one of them.

you realize velimir was a team captain? numbers wanna talk numbers?
03-04 30 gp 27.5min 10.3 ppg, .653fg 6rpg
02-03 30 gep 25.7min 9.3ppg 51.4fg 6.1rpg

not world beat numbers but ill tak them from a kid who represents his school with pride, plays hard and works hard...

velimir worked hard and developed a game, he paired well and was willing to share a role with a player like dials. many kids wouldnt....

on madsen, hes a good kid who works hard, many casual fans undervalue depth...

[DaytonBuck]

He's a youngster, spending a year adding strength will be great for him. People probably underestimate how the transition of living in another country could affect him.

[buckeydoptimist]

I noted VR's numbers, but I still was never impressed by his lacksidaisical style. Maybe it was the Euro soft thing but for someone with his athleticism and size he was very unimposing and soft. As for being a captain, I'm unimpressed with a captain of a pretty bad/underachieving team.

I'm not a casual fan and to me depth is someone who can play and give meaningful minutes in games. KM is a great student and good kid but his impact on the floor is dubious. The walk-ons are also hard workers etc. and I appreciate their sacrifices but they are mostly just practice bodies like the scout team in FB. They have a role but it ends when the lights come on - so to speak.

Originally Posted by jimotis4heisman

you realize velimir was a team captain? numbers wanna talk numbers?
03-04 30 gp 27.5min 10.3 ppg, .653fg 6rpg
02-03 30 gep 25.7min 9.3ppg 51.4fg 6.1rpg

not world beat numbers but ill tak them from a kid who represents his school with pride, plays hard and works hard...

velimir worked hard and developed a game, he paired well and was willing to share a role with a player like dials. many kids wouldnt....

on madsen, hes a good kid who works hard, many casual fans undervalue depth...

[jimotis4heisman]

Originally Posted by buckeydoptimist

I noted VR's numbers, but I still was never impressed by his lacksidaisical style. Maybe it was the Euro soft thing but for someone with his athleticism and size he was very unimposing and soft. As for being a captain, I'm unimpressed with a captain of a pretty bad/underachieving team.

I'm not a casual fan and to me depth is someone who can play and give meaningful minutes in games. KM is a great student and good kid but his impact on the floor is dubious. The walk-ons are also hard workers etc. and I appreciate their sacrifices but they are mostly just practice bodies like the scout team in FB. They have a role but it ends when the lights come on - so to speak.

[Buckskin86]

August 4, 2008
Sarikopoulos wins gold
Ohio State transfer Zisis Sarikopoulos, who was Kosta Koufos? teammate when Greece won the silver medal last year in the European 18-and-under championships, won a gold Sunday.

Greece won the tournament for the first time with a 57-50 victory over Lithuania. Sarikopoulos had eight points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots in the title game.

?This is an amazing feeling,? he was quoted as saying on the tournament Web site. ?We played great defense and it's an honor to win this gold medal, especially after missing out on it last year.?

Sarikopoulos, whose transfer to Ohio State from UAB was announced in July, averaged 10.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots in eight games. He shot 56.7 percent from the field and ranked second in blocked shots and fourth in offensive rebounds.

Sarikopoulos will be able practice with the Buckeyes when he enrolls for fall quarter but will not be eligible to play until the 2009-10

Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog

[crazybuckfan40]

Gotta like those numbers...He is not going to be a guy that we are going to need to score a whole bunch with the scorers we are going to have around him, but we will need bds and defense and from the numbers he seems to excel there...