Judge Ido

Buried in the NY Times article on Jeremy Tyler (abbreviated reprint in the CJ today, our take here) was a curiosity-provoking quote from Tyler's teammate, Israeli big man Ido Kozikaro. On Tyler's poor defense, Ido said:

"If I let up a basket that easy, I would want to stab myself."

This of course sent me scambling to websites like bulgarianbasket.com to find out all I could on the aggressive, balding, 31-year old Israeli. Here's how my new favorite foreign center has been described by his Haifa team:

"The most veteran crown moves to Ido "Concrete Wall" Kozikaro. The massive inside player hasn't missed a single EuroBasket in the new millennium and is considered one of the most important locker-room players on the team, in addition to his toughness and great strength he adds on court. In the Israeli league he continues to be a force in the paints and now he carries on his wide shoulders a lot of experience that might turn out very beneficial for the team. Kozikaro will push, shove, fight and hustle for every point and rebound. If you want to show some fans what hard work and passion can do, focus your eyes on the Israeli big."