Koufos to join a group of Ohio natives in Columbus

	With his mother as a guiding hand, Koufos has stood above the rest at GlenOak High. Photo courtesy of Kosta Koufus

It was simply a coincidence, not a conspiracy, says Ohio State basketball signee Kosta Koufos.

On a recruiting trip to Michigan with his mother, Kathy, at the wheel and Koufos folding his 7-foot-2, 255-pound body into the front seat of the family's 2000 red Ford Windstar, smoke suddenly steamed from the minivan's engine. Already an hour en route from their Canton, Ohio home to meet with Tommy Amaker and the Michigan staff in Ann Arbor, the transmission blew, and not a single rental car was available nearby.

"It was one of those towns where all there was around was a Ford dealership and a Walmart," says Koufos, who scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in leading GlenOak (Canton, Ohio) to a 55-51 win over Warren Harding on Thursday night. "I was real excited to see Michigan, but we had to reschedule. I loved Michigan's way, and coach Amaker is so classy, but I just felt the right fit was as a Buckeye."

Whether it was fate or happenstance, Koufos downplays the possibility of Woody Hayes' ghost affecting a change in course. But with Buckeyes coach Thad Matta having success of late with keeping Ohio's top players within its borders, it raises the question: does Matta's ability to keep the top Ohio talent instate now extend to transmissions?

"Well, I don't know how that might have happened," Matta says playfully. "It's funny how recruiting tales work sometimes."

It's by no means a miracle that Koufos, the son of two Buckeyes with an undergraduate, medical, and master's degree in counseling from the state university among them, will be suiting up the State U next season. Joining a recruiting class that includes 6-6 swingman Jon Diebler, who last month became the Ohio's all-time leading scorer at Upper Sandusky High, as well as Solon's Dallas Lauderdale, a 6-8, 235-pound power forward, Ohio state's future continues to look bright. Having smuggled Mike Conley, Jr. and Greg Oden across the border from neighboring Indiana in last year's class, Koufos is the latest in a recent line of talented recruits.

"There was a dark cloud hanging over our program when we got here," says Matta, who previously coached at Xavier. "We needed to get out in the high school gyms and meet the coaches and establish roots. We've got every high school coach in the state telling their kids that the goal for that season is to make it to Ohio State for the state championship game. That's powerful. I think there is a typical caliber of kid who we are looking for in terms of character and work ethic."