Lambros Papalambros was in his car when he received the life-changing phone call.
It was April 12, and Papalambros was expecting a call about the boys head coaching position at Noble and Greenough that he was a finalist for. It came just after 9 a.m., as he was pulling out of a gas station in Medford on his way to coach in an AAU tournament. He immediately pulled over to the side of the road outside a park to answer the call.
It was good news. And as Cathy Hall, Nobles’ head of schools, congratulated him on getting the job, Papalambros’ emotions came out.
“I was just fist pumping on the side of the road,” Papalambros said. “It was overwhelming, but I was ready.”
Papalambros’ first call to tell the news to was to his father, who understands more than anyone what this took. His journey was never linear, and full of adverse obstacles that threatened to derail his path. But the experiences shaped him to become the coach ready to lead Nobles into the future.
“I’ve been on a rollercoaster,” Papalmabros said.
Papalambros, a Quincy native, is one of the best young coaches in the region. The 35-year-old has been coaching with the Middlesex Magic for the last 10 years, and was just named the 17U Hoop Group Showcase League coach of the year after leading the Magic to the HGSL championship in one of the top independent grassroots leagues in the country. He was a standout player at Curry College and has coached at several stops over the last decade.
But before all that, there were pitfalls to overcome. When Papalambros was 8 years old, his mother died from breast cancer. It was difficult for him to deal with, and as he got older, drugs and alcohol got involved. It came to a head in 2008 during his freshman year at Babson, when he started the first seven games before getting into trouble. He was charged with a DUI during Christmas break, and was ordered to leave the school.
“I think I was just living with that pain,” Papalambros said. “I never really did anything about it.”
After Papalambros spent six months at home, Babson coach Stephen Brennan was instrumental in getting him reinstated to the school. But about two weeks before school started, Papalambros suffered a serious knee injury that required a full reconstructive surgery. He redshirted the year, but decided to leave Babson midway through the year.
Papalambros spent the next two years at Quincy Community College as he tried to get healthy and figure out his next steps. And he did just enough to stay eligible for three years. He got his next opportunity in 2011 at Curry, where head coach Malcolm Wynn revitalized his career.
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Though he wasn’t completely healthy yet, Papalambros was named a team captain right away for a struggling program. It was instrumental in him bouncing back.
“I remember that day really giving me confidence of like, ‘OK, my coach believes in me.’” Papalambros said. “Regardless of my physical capabilities at this time, I can still add value to this team.”
Papalambros slowly got healthier, and rewarded Wynn’s faith. Over three years at Curry, he scored 1,246 points, was named a three-time all-league selection and led the school to its best season in history in 2011-12, his junior year. While his senior year finished on a sour note with a 20-loss season, Papalambros’ basketball spirit had been reborn.
“It was such a blessing,” Papalambros said. “I cried myself to sleep for two years, not playing. It was a dark time. … The playing days and being able to finish what I started, it gave me such closure to my career.”
Still, coaching long term wasn’t on his agenda at that point. Papalambros still had dreams of playing professionally. He made a training camp roster on a Canadian team in 2014, but was cut. When he returned home, Weymouth High coach Jim Dolan gave him a call and asked if he would be interested in coaching the freshman team.
Papalambros accepted the job, thinking it was a way for him to stay involved in the game as he stayed in shape and held out hope of a pro career. That same fall, he also started coaching with Michael Crotty for the Magic. And as time went on, something cool happened.
“I remember telling (my dad), I love this stuff,” Papalambros said. “I love coaching young people. I do remember feeling something different than playing. There was a small light bulb that went on. Like you know what? I really enjoy this thing.”
As it became clear a pro career wasn’t in the cards, it developed into a passion. While it took time to develop his own philosophies and play style, coaching became a way for Papalambros to give back to the game he loved. The struggles he went through when he was younger became teaching points and lessons for the next generation of hoopers.
“Making sure that these kids that I coach now do not take the game for granted is everything for me,” Papalambros said. “I got caught taking my talent and taking my work for granted at the wrong time in my life. It derailed everything that I had worked for to that point. …
“I try to just pay it forward so that these kids that I have now don’t get caught up. It’s had a huge positive impact on my life.”
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Papalambros’ coaching journey took him several places, and each stop was valuable in its own way. After three years at Weymouth, he was a volunteer coach at Curry under Matt LeVangie, then went to Regis College as a grad assistant under Nate Hager. Following two years at Xaverian High School as the junior varsity coach, he teamed up with one of his best friends, Littell White, to be his lead assistant coach at Emmanuel College for the last three seasons.
“That propelled me to really be ready for this (Nobles) job,” Papalambros said.
Getting the Nobles job was almost poetic for Papalambros. For the last 10 years, he’s been going there 2-3 times per week for Middlesex Magic practices. He made a quick connection with Alex Gallagher, Nobles’ athletic director and girls basketball coach.
“He asked, ‘What are the pillars of your program?’ And I just said love and positivity, that’s how I do it,” Papalambros said. “I stay positive regardless and everything is with love. I remember that really resonating with him.”
The first few months have gone as well as Papalambros could have hoped. Nobles had a strong showing during June’s NEPSAC showcases, when they went 5-1. He’s excited to coach a team that includes seniors Rylan Singh and Drew Kahn, and build around sophomore captain Raul Cruz. Papalambros has lofty goals: He wants to win the Independent School League in his first year.
“If it’s not, we’re wasting our time,” Papalambros said.
But before that, it’s important for him to build a program built on class.
“I can just feel the culture shift,” Papalambros said. “I never speak about what happened before where I have no idea. I would never say a bad word about anybody. But the culture needed a shift. That’s all everybody told me going into it and I know I can feel it, the guys feel it, the parents feel it, the school feels it. You can feel the positive momentum that’s begun already.”
This opportunity was never guaranteed for Papalambros. Now that he has it, he certainly won’t take it for granted.
“I’m so appreciative of Nobles, I’m so gracious for them believing in me,” Papalambros said. “I spent a lot of time in my life trying to prove people wrong, and recently I’ve had so much success trying to prove people right, and that’s my goal, to prove Nobles and everyone who believed in me, to prove them right. There’s a power in that.”
