Koufos, the 2008 Postseason NIT MVP, had chances to turn pro a year ago, reportedly receiving a multi-million-dollar offer to play for Olympiacos BC of the Greek League out of Ohio's GlenOak High School. Other pro Greek teams continued to pursue Koufos — whose mother was born in Greece and whose late father, Alex, was of Greek heritage but born in the U.S. — after he starred for Greece and was named MVP at the 2007 Under-18 European Championships in Spain. He is still being lured by the Greek national team as well as pro clubs there.

"He's Greece's favorite son right now, I think," his mom said.

That point was evident when he received celebrity treatment — something Kathy Koufos joked was "out of control" — while visiting the country last year.

Koufos insists he'll turn down any and all Greek offers. He's holding out hope that he might be able to participate in the Olympics, but he says that's up to his new bosses.

"For me, the priority is the NBA and it always will be," he said. "Whatever the (Jazz) staff needs me to do to excel at this level, I'm going to do."

Koufos will wear No. 41 on his jersey — the same as Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, whose game he likes — but he called it "an honor" that some are comparing his skill set to that of Mehmut Okur's. Koufos claimed he feels comfortable shooting from NBA 3-point range — though he only shot 34.9 percent from beyond the arc as a freshman — and said he has an "in-and-out" game that allows him to shoot from distance as well as post up and effectively pick-and-roll.

While not drafted as a defensive stopper, per se, Koufos is confident he can handle his own against other big guys. To help him with that, he said he'll hit the weight room to add more muscle to his already 265-pound frame.

During his only season at Ohio State, Koufos proved he was willing to work. He occasionally played against fellow Ohio native LeBron James and even spent an hour-and-a-half before and after games working on his shot.

"I got a passion for the game," he said.

While he is also passionate about his Greek heritage, Koufos is thankful one thing wasn't passed on: his family's short genes. The tall teen is the only member of his family who is taller than 6-feet. His mom is 5-8 and his father, who was a doctor, was only 6-0. His older brother is just 5-11 and his sister is a bit shorter than that.

"God blessed me with height," Koufos said with a smile. "This is my lottery winning."

When asked where he got his height, his mom quickly said: "From God. (His dad) prayed about it."

Koufos also thanked a higher power for blessing him with "wonderful talents" and good health.

"I'm living a dream right now," he said. "I can't complain about anything."