Another chapter was closed in the history of the University of Hawaii men’s volleyball program on Sunday after not getting selected to the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Despite the season ending, the legacy of the Rainbow Warriors will continue to live on in local lore over time, a sentiment shared by former star Costas Theocharidis.
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Theocharidis, one of the most decorated players in program history, is also one of the most storied. After guiding the ‘Bows to their first national title in 2002, he became the center of an NCAA investigation the following year. Hawaii was stripped of its national title in 2003, but the memories live on for members of the team, as well as Theocharidis.
His new novel, “Costas: Warrior For Life,” was released on April 10 is available for purchase on Amazon.
“It’s a story of love, pain, struggle and redemption,” Theocharidis told KHON2 sports director Rob DeMello. “And it’s something that I put it out there for the public to see, because the 2002 championship team is one of those things that has to be immortalized. The players, the coaches should be remembered forever. They helped build this great foundation.”
Theocharidis hopes his story is found to be inspirational and relatable to readers in all walks of life.”
“I want also to provide a source of inspiration to younger athletes, to younger leaders, to adults, to everybody out there to reach for the stars,” he said. “Second chances are very powerful and we need to take advantage of them because we just don’t know what what’s ahead of us.
“A lot of people are planning things for this evening and they may not be around those people to make plans for tomorrow morning and they may not be around anymore. And that was also part of my mindset.”