Naperville Central junior Pambos Nicoloudes took a year off from basketball to concentrate on baseball. It gave him more time to figure out the age-old truth.
Hitting a baseball is both an art and a science. Even the best athletes get frustrated by it.
“Baseball is a hard game to play,” Nicoloudes said. “When you know what you are looking for, you discover what you are capable of and you adjust to any circumstances.”
It’s about mitigating failure and living with the results.
Nicoloudes, a skillful and gifted infielder who hits and throws right-handed, got the result he was looking for by making a verbal commitment to Illinois-Chicago.
The 6-foot-1, 193-pound Nicoloudes, who also pitches, is one of the top prospects in the state for the 2023 class. He’s listed as No. 28 by the Prep Baseball Report.
As a sophomore last season, Nicoloudes batted .465 with 40 hits, 30 runs, three home runs and 29 RBIs. He had 16 extra-base hits and a .546 on-base percentage.
An all-area and all-conference third baseman, Nicoloudes helped the Redhawks capture the conference title and win the conference tournament.
His decision to commit was a slam dunk.
“UIC was my only offer,” Nicoloudes said. “There were some Big Ten and Big East schools that showed interest, but nothing really came out of it.
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“I built some good relationships with their coaches. They made me seem like I was their guy. That was what got me.”
The surroundings will be familiar for Nicoloudes. He lived in Chicago until the seventh grade, when his family moved to Naperville.
Baseball, however, is on hold for him until early March.
A high-energy defender and rebounding specialist, Nicoloudes has had four games scoring in double figures for Naperville Central (19-9), which plays the host Huskies on Wednesday night in the Class 4A Naperville North Regional semifinals.
“I played basketball since I was a little kid,” said Nicoloudes, who posted a career-high 10 rebounds on Jan. 21 in a 63-52 victory over Waubonsie Valley. “I took last year off, but I wanted to play this year.
“I knew we were going to have a solid team and I felt there were ways I could contribute. I would have regretted not playing this year.”
He has found ways to merge the two sports, using the speed, agility and explosiveness of basketball to develop his conditioning, strength and reflexes in baseball.
In baseball, he’s built his reputation as an elite hitter.
Playing for a Wisconsin-based travel program in the summer, Nicoloudes showed how he could nullify opposing hitters as well.
Prep Baseball Report timed his fastball at a high of 88 mph, with an average of 85-87. His slider was timed between 77-79 mph.
Naperville Central coach Mike Stock said Nicoloudes’ success always has been shaped in the context of the larger team.
“I am very excited for Pambos because his game is already about winning,” Stock said. “He has all the measurable for a Division I player, but he applies them to the team’s success.”
Nicoloudes’ full first name is Charalambos. His father, who was born in Africa and grew up in Greece, played baseball and basketball before coming to Chicago for college.
Nicoloudes also takes inspiration from the remarkable courage shown by his younger sister Sofia, who was diagnosed six years ago with diabetes.
The massive Greek community that surrounds Illinois-Chicago is an added bonus.
Playing for family and school drives him.
“A lot of players, it’s their dream to play in the South,” Nicoloudes said. “I was looking for the chance to excel when I get on campus.
“UIC gives me the opportunity to do that.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.