NBA Draft: Utah Selects Koufos with 23rd Pick – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Rookie center becomes fourth Buckeye freshman in two years to go in NBA’s First Round
COLUMBUS, Ohio Kosta Koufos, a 7-foot center, became the fourth Ohio State freshman to be selected in the opening round of the annual National Basketball Association Draft in the last two seasons when the Utah Jazz selected the Canton, Ohio, native with the 23rd pick Thursday.
The 2008 NBA Draft was held at Madison Square Garden in New York, site of Koufos’ last collegiate game as a Buckeye. He earned MVP honors in helping Ohio State win the 2008 National Invitation Tournament with a 92-85 win over Massachusetts April 3.
Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr., and Daequan Cook, all freshmen from Ohio State’s 2007 NCAA runner up squad, were taken in the opening round of the 2007 NBA Draft.
Portland, with the first overall pick in 2007, selected Oden. He was the first Buckeye selected with the opening pick. Conley went to the Memphis Grizzlies with the No. 4 pick and Cook was selected by Philadelphia with the 21st pick of the opening round.
Thad Matta, head coach of the Buckeyes, said Koufos was focused on this day.
“Kosta Koufos meant a great deal to our program,” 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.
Koufos joins Oden, Conley, Cook and Michael Redd, now in his ninth year with the Milwaukee Bucks, as former Buckeyes currently active in the NBA. Redd recently was selected to represent the United States on the men’s senior national team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics later this summer.
“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.”
Koufos topped Ohio State in rebounding (6.7 ppg.) and blocks (67) in 2007-08. He was second in scoring with 14.4 points a game.
Ohio State made its eighth appearance in the postseason NIT and won its second championship after a five-game win streak to end the season. The Buckeyes finished 24-13 overall, the fourth-consecutive season with 20 or more wins and Matta’s eighth-consecutive year with 20-plus wins as a head coach.
Ohio State’s NBA First Round Draft History
| Year | Player | At OSU | NBA Team | Round (pick) |
| 1947 | Jack Underman | 1946-47 | St. Louis | 1 (7) |
| 1947 | Paul Huston | 1945-47 | Chicago | 1 (8) |
| 1950 | Dick Schnittker | 1948-50 | Washington Capitols | 1 (5) |
| 1961 | Larry Siegfried | 1959-61 | Boston Celtics | 1 (3) |
| 1962 | Jerry Lucas | 1960-62 | Cincinnati Royals | 1 (6) |
| 1962 | John Havlicek | 1960-62 | Boston Celtics | 1 (9) |
| 1964 | Gary Bradds | 1962-64 | Baltimore Bullets | 1 (3) |
| 1968 | Bill Hosket | 1966-68 | New York Knicks | 1 (10) |
| 1971 | Jim Cleamons | 1969-71 | Los Angeles | 1 (13) |
| 1980 | Kelvin Ransey | 1977-80 | Chicago Bulls | 1 (4) |
| 1981 | Herb Williams | 1978-81 | Indiana Pacers | 1 (14) |
| 1982 | Clark Kellogg | 1980-82 | Indiana Pacers | 1 (8) |
| 1984 | Tony Campbell | 1981-84 | Detroit Pistons | 1 (20) |
| 1986 | Brad Sellers | 1985-86 | Chicago Bulls | 1 (9) |
| 1987 | Dennis Hopson | 1984-87 | New Jersey Nets | 1 (3) |
| 1992 | Jim Jackson | 1990-92 | Atlanta Hawks | 1 (4) |
| 2007 | Greg Oden | 2007 | Portland Trailblazers | 1 (1) |
| 2007 | Mike Conley Jr. | 2007 | Memphis Grizzlies | 1 (4) |
| 2007 | Daequan Cook | 2007 | Philadelphia 76ers | 1 (21) |
| 2008 | Kosta Koufos | 2008 | Utah Jazz | 1 (23) |
