Ex-Warrior hopes to be cleared of any wrongdoing

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Costas Theocharidis, a former University of Hawai'i men's volleyball player whose amateur status is being investigated by the NCAA, said he hopes to be cleared of any wrongdoing.

"I hope everything will be OK," Theocharidis told The Advertiser yesterday.

He added: "I hope this thing has no repercussions whatsoever for the team. I don't think it will, but we'll see how it goes."

According to a UH official familiar with the complaint, the NCAA is deciding whether Theocharidis, men's volleyball's only four-time All-American, played in more than 20 matches involving professionals in Europe before enrolling at UH in August 1999.

While a player may play against professional players and maintain his amateur status, it is against NCAA rules to be a member of a pro team.

In May, the NCAA notified UH officials that a complaint was filed against Theocharidis. Last month, UH athletic director Herman Frazier admitted the school committed a violation "regarding the eligibility of one of our men's volleyball players." He has declined to publicly identify Theocharidis.

Jan Gouveia, director of UH's risk management department, forwarded the school's findings to the NCAA.

Theocharidis, who completed his UH eligibility in May, was unavailable for comment while playing professionally in Puerto Rico this summer. He recently returned to Hawai'i, and is enrolled in UH's fall semester, which begins Monday. He expects to earn a bachelor's degree in December.

Theocharidis admitted he was the focus of the investigation, but referred comment on the specifics to Gouveia.

"I'm not going to make any comment while the case is still pending," he said.