PF/C Kosta Koufos (CSKA Moscow)

[Buckskin86]

Koufos faces tough decision
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sportswriter

POSTED: 06:25 p.m. EDT, Apr 12, 2008

Ohio State basketball player Kosta Koufos is mulling his future in college basketball.

Koufos (GlenOak High School) was expected to make a decision this past week, but that proved premature.

His mother, Kathy Koufos, a high school guidance counselor, said that his options are too complicated to rush into things.

''It's a very serious decision, and we're weighing all of his options,'' she said by telephone. ''We're not excluding anything right now.''

Koufos could stay in school, enter the NBA Draft, or turn pro and play in Greece.

His college coach, Thad Matta, thinks he should stay.

Ohio.com - Koufos faces tough decision

 

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

College basketball: Koufos takes look at agents
But player's mom says no decision made on future
Tuesday, April 15, 2008 2:56 AM
By Bob Baptist

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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. "Not one way or another," Kathy Koufos said yesterday. "We're just exploring options."
Cont...

 

[HangOnSloopy]

Before the Nit championship game he was coming to every class, since then he hasnt been to a single one. My friend has another class with him and she said he hasnt gone to a single one either. I think he is gone, and if he is i wish him the very best.

 

[twoodbuck97]

Will that affect the APR? If so, I doubt we get any help from the NCAA on the Oden situation if they figure this is something that will continue with the one and done players we get. Best of luck to him if true, but I hope Matta addresses this with BJ. It's still up to the kid though so this pretty much sucks for are scholarships.

 

[OH10]

Hard to convince a kid to wake up and go to class when he doesn't need/want the knowledge. Sorry, but it's not as if he owes Ohio State anything.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

This is why the APR sucks...

 

[Steve19]

Hard to convince a kid to wake up and go to class when he doesn't need/want the knowledge. Sorry, but it's not as if he owes Ohio State anything.

I totally disagree. He accepted scholarship that required him to attend the University. If he drops out without satisfactorily completing the courses, then he causes harm to the team.

He owes it to his team to finish out the year that he committed to honorably.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

I totally disagree. He accepted scholarship that required him to attend the University. If he drops out without satisfactorily completing the courses, then he causes harm to the team.

He owes it to his team to finish out the year that he committed to honorably.

Why? I mean it isn't like it is going to help or hurt him if he sits in on his freshmen history class, or astronomy or whatever he may be taking...It is just taking away from time to be out working on his game, talking to agents, etc...

I understand why the rule is in place, but they are going about it the wrong way...The APR rule that is...

Also a two year rule would help out this problem...

 

[vioravis]

$Scout

KK likely to declare for the NBA draft. Not likely to hire an agent. Chances of returning to OSU are very slim.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Crap. Where's DrewZwick when we need him?


-chow

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

wow...breaking news.

 

[jimotis4heisman]

then would you have this the second year?

an issue is a qtr vs semester system. the nba basis their camps and what not around the semester system.

a random tangent not about kosta
you know what would be interesting is if these contracts held atheletes accountable to their end of the bargain. what if the student did not meet his required course work (grades, classes, etc) and what not he was required to pay the scholarship. in many of the same ways the service academies do...

 

[Steve19]

Why? I mean it isn't like it is going to help or hurt him if he sits in on his freshmen history class, or astronomy or whatever he may be taking...It is just taking away from time to be out working on his game, talking to agents, etc......

No, it is because he made a commitment to Ohio State when he took the scholarship. The Buckeyes are not a minor league team. If he fails to complete his classwork, then he hurts the team and that is unfair.

How he takes care of this obligation will tell us a lot about KK as a person.

 

[LitlBuck]

If this is true and he is not going to class, this really could put the nail on the coffin regarding losing a scholarship because of our APR. If you would leave school and be ineligible that would be another 2/0 and add that to what Oden did last year and he really would be hurting The Ohio State University.

I find it somewhat difficult to believe that he is not attending class because his mother is an educator and I would think that she would have a little talk with him.

I don't know perhaps this should be in the Basketball Rumor Mill

 

[Oh8ch]

I totally disagree. He accepted scholarship that required him to attend the University. If he drops out without satisfactorily completing the courses, then he causes harm to the team.

He owes it to his team to finish out the year that he committed to honorably.

In general the University gets far more from the kids than they do from the University. But it sure would be nice if they considered the APR in their decision making. It is not so much to ask to finish a quarter of free classes - particularly when he could take pretty much whatever he chose. It is an act worthy of an eye roll and maybe a good head shake - but probably stops short of strong profanity or fist slamming.