Nico Pearce Biography

[Spartan 4,437]

 

 

When one thinks of sports in Thessaloniki, Greece, or even in Greece in general, you're likely to have basketball at the forefront of your mind. Considered one of the European basketball powers over the past few decades, Greece has elevated the sport into one of the most popular in the country. Thessaloniki also grew to be one of the pioneering cities for basketball, participating in Greece's rapidly expanding interest in the sport by building the Alexandreio Melathron in 1966 and then the PAOK Sports Arena in 2000, considered the first modern indoor sports arena in the city. Of course, a young Nico Pearce growing up amidst the boom of organized basketball felt passionate about participating in the sport that was putting national attention on Greece.

 

Of course, having a father who grew up during the era of Nikos Galis helped, and Nico's life dream was always to become a professional basketball player. He would participate in local youth leagues run by the Aris Thessaloniki men's basketball team, and would of course play casually with his brothers Cole and Calix. However, the one thing Nico always lacked was height. Entering high school, Nico had not yet seen the growth spurt most aspiring basketball players would see during those years. Even when trying out for his school team, his height served as the tiebreaker between himself and another aspiring point guard. Dejected, Nico would soon stumble upon a poster for the Aris Thessaloniki Ice Hockey Club who was looking for some youths to start a relatively new ice hockey program. Still young and athletic, Nico adapted quickly to the sport once he got used to the whole backwards skating aspect, and even convinced his brothers to join him in the program. However, due to a lack of funding, the program soon shut down and the Pearce brothers were forced to look abroad for options to continue their hockey careers.

 

Still without the height you'd hope for as a 12th grader, basketball opportunities were still off the table. However, hockey scouts were much more receptive to the film sent out and some offers came in from the U.S. and Canada for Nico. Going into the whole process, Nico preferred to avoid going directly into a juniors program, rather hoping to go to a college where he could continue his education. After all, who knew if this hockey aspiration would continue long-term? Taking a safer route simply seemed like the better option. Soon enough, Nico was on his way to St. Cloud State in Minnesota where he'd play for the Huskies. 

 

His time in Minnesota was brief, but full of change. Adapting to the different style of game on North American ice was challenging, especially getting used to the different ice size. But he even had a surprising growth spurt to 6'0, and through the rigorous training regiment of the program, Nico bulked up a bit as well to truly fit his new frame. For once, Nico finally looked and played like a natural hockey player rather than the tweener basketball player he had always appeared as. As a freshman with the Huskies program being built up by new coach Brett Larson, Nico experienced a great season as the team racked up 30 wins and Nico had 25 points, with 16 goals. 

 

Nico's performance wasn't putting him on the radar of many junior programs, but a few would keep reaching out every so often. One day, a new request came via his agent to check out a league called the Victory Hockey League, an international hockey league that had a North America-based minor league program. Thinking that there wouldn't be much harm to try out the program, especially due to the proximity from St. Cloud to the Minnesota Storm of the VHLM, Nico declared as a waiver player in the VHLM and quickly heard from a few teams, including the Halifax 21st who hoped to sign him along with an old friend in Zaza Colors. The duo had to think about the difficult decision, and Nico had to decide whether it truly was worth it to leave college to join a pro system, especially having intentionally avoided that career path while in Greece. But after a length conversation with his agent about the profitability, Nico decided to join the VHLM and Halifax for the duration of the S79 season after the St. Cloud season ended.

 

Since then, Nico has erupted as a hockey player, now entering his 7th season in the VHL. He had a breakout season in S84, winning the Brooks Trophy for most goals in the league and co-won the Campbell Trophy, awarded to the league MVP. As a rookie, he made the finals with the Moscow Menace, but has yet to reach that far in the post-season again. After stops in Helsinki and Vancouver, Nico has found his way back to Moscow where he has re-signed and will hope to win a championship. As of this point, he has a career earnings total of $35 million, validating his decision to leave college to play professionally.