No way to describe or stop Theocharidis

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Outside hitter Costas Theocharidis will lead Hawai'i against USC in an MPSF playoff match tomorrow night. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

"He's seriously goofy," UH setter Kimo Tuyay offered.

"He's unique," middle blocker Dejan Miladinovic said.

When asked how to describe Theocharidis to, say, a Martian, Miladinovic said, "He acts a little weird. But a guy from Mars doesn't know what normal is."

Theocharidis packs food and bottled water for road trips because he is scared of the "toxins" found in Mainland food.

As a freshman last season, he would protest questionable calls in his native Greek. This year, as a testament to his improved English, he is using profanity even a line judge can understand, drawing several warnings.

On one road trip, Theocharidis overslept. In an angry wake-up call, UH coach Mike Wilton told Theocharidis to report immediately to a team meeting or risk being "benched." Later, Theocharidis asked Miladinovic, "Why does he want to bench press me?"

"He'll say little things that will make you go, 'hmmm ...' " Tuyay said.

Such as when he was asked about growing up in Greece, and he said, "I liked to drink milk. It helped me grow."

Theocharidis is distinguished by a rooster's haircut and a peacock's strut.

"It's a European thing," middle blocker Brenton Davis said. "He's got mood swings. One minute he can be joking, the next moment he can be really irritated. He's hard to read."

Said Theocharidis: "Every individual is unique. What makes me 'me' is me. I like the way I'm behaving. I like the way I'm thinking. It makes me a different individual."

Later, he said this: "If I didn't like to be myself, I would commit suicide."

The 6-foot-3 Theocharidis defies gravity as much as logic. With his 36-inch vertical leap and .45-caliber right arm, Theocharidis boldly attacks double blocks.

"It's a matter of practice," he said. "You see the hands (of the blockers) and then you see how the diggers are (positioned) on the court, and you try to find the open spot. It's a talent, a natural gift."

Said Davis: "He's definitely cocky."

But Theocharidis has backed it up with his All-America play. Southern California coach Pat Powers, whose team will face UH in tomorrow night's opening round of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation playoffs, said Theocharidis is one of the top outside hitters in men's college volleyball.

Focus of the offense

Wilton has built the offense around Theocharidis' booming shots, even calling plays that set Theocharidis in the back row.

For all of his success, Theocharidis admits to being an accidental volleyball player. He said he never wanted to play volleyball, but following a growth spurt when he was young, his father enrolled him in volleyball camp.

"I was crying, I was begging, 'No, I don't want to play volleyball,' " Theocharidis recalled. "I remember we had a really harsh coach. He was going to kick my butt. My dad was like, 'That's OK.' My coach used to kick my butt all of the time. My father was like, 'Give him more. Give him more.' But that was the guy who taught me how to play ball.

"The first year was like boot camp. I was crying. After a year, I really liked it. I found out that volleyball is my sport and I'm going to dedicate the rest of my life to playing it."

After high school, Theocharidis wrote to several U.S. colleges asking for a volleyball scholarship. He did not receive any offers. But during a tournament in Europe, he met Mike Lambert, an Olympian and Punahou School graduate.

"He said, 'I'm going to send you to Hawai'i,' " Theocharidis recalled. "I said, 'Hawai'i?' I couldn't find it on the map. 'Where the hell is Hawai'i?' He talked to Mr. Wilton, and after a couple of months, he chose me. My parents were concerned because it was so far away from Greece. Man, I couldn't see it on the map, either. I had to take a magnifying glass. But they were happy for me because they knew it was my dream. They have supported me."

Which is probably the best way to explain Theocharidis.

Fortunate.