From Deseret News archives:
Utah Jazz: Draft pick Kosta Koufos visits
"And then," said the Jazz's general manager, "we'll get started."
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan needn't worry. Koufos, a 7-foot center out of Ohio State who was drafted with the No. 23 pick on Thursday night, said if he goes anywhere before returning to Utah for the mid-July Rocky Mountain Revue he'll make it a working vacation.
"I'm going to work hard wherever I'm at for that week," he said at the Zions Bank Basketball Center."I'm just going to get better as a player, make sure I'm in shape for the summer league and just perform to my best ability."
Though some NBA Draft experts, including the Jazz brass, thought Koufos had a good chance of being picked up long before Utah's late pick, the 19-year-old seemed quite happy with being drafted by his new team.
"This is the best thing for me," he said. "All in all, I'm just happy."
The dual U.S.-Greek citizen, who was born and raised in Canton, Ohio, came away impressed with his first meeting with his new coach. Koufos said Sloan told him the NBA was a "fast-paced game" compared to college, which he only played in for season with the Buckeyes, and counseled him to "Maintain your health, maintain your focus."
And Koufos knows he won't be treated with kids' gloves by Sloan.
"He told me he's going to be hard on me, which I love," Koufos said. "(Sloan said) come in with an aggressive nature and we'll learn a lot more and I can become a very good basketball player for this program."
Koufos' mother, Kathy, accompanied the young talent on the trip to Utah.
