Utah Jazz: Olympic hopes still alive for Koufos
The American-born Koufos holds dual U.S.-Greek citizenship, but the 19-year-old chose to play for the Jazz's entry in the Rocky Mountain Revue NBA summer league rather than for Greece in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Athens.
Greece beat the Puerto Rican team of ex-Jazz point guard Carlos Arroyo 88-63 in a FIBA semifinal game Saturday, earning a berth at next month's Summer Games in Beijing. Croatia beat Germany 76-70 — despite a 30-point, 13-rebound showing from Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki — in the other semi and qualified as well.
Puerto Rico, which according to an Associated Press report lost Orlando Magic free agent Arroyo to a torn leg muscle, will play Germany today for the last Olympic invite.
Koufos probably won't learn until sometime later this week if he'll be added to Greece's Olympic roster, though he has consistently said since the Jazz selected him out of Ohio State with the 23rd overall pick in last June's NBA Draft that the possibility remains open.
But, on the other, his age and his absence from the qualifying tourney could make him a national-club candidate only for the future.
"They're a great team," Koufos — who had a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double, but shot just 3-of-11 from the field, in Saturday's Revue loss to Atlanta — said of Greece's now Olympic-bound national squad. "I'm happy for them. I wish the best for them right now, and I know they'll make a great run in the Olympics.
"Right now my focus is on the Utah Jazz," he added Saturday.
"I'm not thinking about Greece right now. But Greece has been a wonderful opportunity for me."
Tomic, meanwhile, didn't play for Croatia's entry in the qualifier — at least in part, it's believed, because he went to New York to prepare for last month's draft rather than remain with the national team. But indications Saturday were that it's still possible Croatia will add the 7-foot-1 center to its roster now that it is Olympic-qualified.
Utah has no plans to bring Tomic to the NBA next season, incidentally, and officials from his KK Zagreb club in Croatia reportedly said in the draft's immediate aftermath that it wants to keep him under contract for two more years.
He's not playing in the Revue. The Jazz already have three Olympians: Team USA teammates Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, and Russian star Andrei Kirilenko.
Ex-Jazz point guard Raul Lopez will play his native Spain, but the Brazilian team of ex-Jazz center Rafael Araujo was eliminated from Olympic contention by Germany in the FIBA tourney's quarterfinal round.
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