BuckeyeGrove.com - Meet OSU's other seven-footer

October 22, 2008

Brandon Castel
Staff Writer

With five-star prospect B.J. Mullens set to join the team this fall, the Buckeyes knew their might be chance this year's squad would feature two seven footers on the same roster.

Although Greg Oden bolted for the NBA after one season to become the No. 1 overall pick, many thought Ohio State might have chance to keep Kosta Koufos for more than one year. That would allow OSU to team him with Mullens down low, giving the Buckeyes the biggest front court in the nation, and it would allow Koufos to go back his normal power forward position.

The Buckeyes will have another seven-footer on the roster in 2008 to go with Mullens, but it won't be Koufos. The Canton native, and Greek national, chose to leave Columbus after one season and he was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 23rd overall pick in June's NBA Draft.

Instead, coach Thad Matta and the Buckeyes replaced Koufos with Zisis Sarikopoulos , one of his teammates from the Greek national team. A native of Athens, Sarikopoulos (SAR'-uh-kohp-uh-lihs) spent last season at UAB, where he averaged 1.8 points and 1.1 rebounds in 20 games (4 starts). He will not be eligible to play for the Buckeyes until next season, so his primary role this year will be to get Mullens and the other big men ready to play each game.

We caught up with "Big Z" to ask him some questions about his transfer to Ohio State and what he can bring to the Buckeyes.

BuckeyeGrove.com: What attracted you to leave your native country of Greece and come to America to play basketball?

Zisis Sarikopoulos: I always knew that basketball in the States is on a higher level, so I always loved the idea of playing there. I cannot even compare the NCAA basketball level to the non-professional level of Greek teams.

BG: Talk about your decision to leave UAB and why you chose Ohio State.

ZS: I was not that satisfied at UAB, I don't think it was the best choice I made. Unfortunately, it did not work out really well for me. After I got my release form, I started talking to some pretty good schools but when I starting talking with coach Thad Matta, I loved the idea of coming to OSU. I consider it a great program academically and it has a unique basketball program too.

BG: What experience have you had playing with or against former Buckeye Kosta Koufos and what was that like having two seven-footers?

ZS: Kostas is a really good basketball player, very gifted and talented. I learned a lot from him, not only about basketball; he has a great personality too. It was great to room with him the entire summer. It was a huge advantage for my national team to have two seven-footers, it is unusual for national teams of that age. We could even play together, he would play the 4 and we would dominate together.

BG: What are your biggest strengths on offense?

ZS: I think one of my biggest strengths offensively is that I can read the game well. Also, I think I can pass the ball well and my positioning is good too. I can score mostly from the post but I love creating on my game.

BG: What can you bring to the team defensively?

ZS: I love defense, so as a result I believe I am a really good defensive player. I can block shots, I can help and recover well and I like organizing my teammates on defense.

BG: A lot has been made of your selection to the Jordan Brand All-American Classic, what was that experience like and how did you originally draw Jordan's attention?

ZS: That has been a priceless experience for me, maybe the best on my entire life when I met Michael Jordan. That event helped me a lot to become more famous to important basketball people, a ''door'' that I would never imagine opened for me. I drew Jordan's attention by being the MVP of my country two years ago. More specifically, two years ago the Jordan Camp took place in Greece for its first time where the 30 best players from Greece on my age had to compete to win the MVP title. I managed to be named the MVP of that tournament after and the price was a trip to New York to participate at the Jordan Classic as well.

BG: With you having to sit out a year, what things can you work on to prepare yourself for the style of play in the Big Ten?

ZS: Well, the Big Ten is a fascinating conference; a conference in which any college player would want to play. In order to be able to help Ohio State succeed, I will have to improve a lot as player. The Big Ten conference is famous for its physical teams, so I will have to become more physical, stronger and work on my conditioning as well. Furthermore, I will have to become a reliable center for my team so I think I will have to work on my moves a lot. Big Ten teams according to history have great big guys who manage to play high level basketball like make it to the NBA for example. That means a lot to me, especially on how I should work this year in order to be ready to compete next year.

Brandon Castel is a staff writer for BuckeyeGrove.com. He can be reached at bcastel@rivals.com.

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