Batavia High School Names 3 New Head Coaches

The Batavia sports community said farewell to three Hall of Fame coaches this year due to retirements and resignations.

Now they can say hello to these new head coaches, which were announced by on Thursday afternoon:

• Jim Nazos, head coach of the Wheaton North High School boys basketball team, will be the Batavia boys basketball head coach.

• Scott Bayer, an assistant Batavia wrestling coach, will become the school's head wrestling coach.

• Brad Nelson, head Batavia varsity girls tennis coach, will be the boy's tennis head coach.

Nazos has been on the coaching staff of the Wheaton North boys program for 12 years. In that time, his team won three regional titles and one conference title in the ironclad DuPage Valley Conference.

Nazos, 41, is thrilled to coach in Batavia, the city he has called home for the past six years with his wife Lora and three kids.

"I’m excited—I’m honored," Nazos told Batavia Patch Thursday night about his new role. "(Former head coach Jim) Roberts and Batavia have always turned out great kids, and that’s something I look forward to continuing."

Nazos will still continue his teaching job at Wheaton North during this coming 2012-13 school year. He plans to apply for a position in as soon as something opens.

"When the bell rings at Wheaton North, instead of going to practice there, I’ll go to practice at Batavia," Nazos said.

Making The Transition

Nazos had an emotional farewell with his Wheaton players at 10:30 a.m. Thursday. Then he met his Batavia players at 1 p.m. later that day.

Nazos is jumping right into the new coaching gig. He will be at the Geneva Summer League basketball playoffs on Monday observing his team.

Expectations will be high for Nazos, who takes the reins from Hall of Fame Coach Jim Roberts. After 27 years as coach, due to family health concerns.

"My goal is to carry on the tradition that has been set before me," Nazos said. "The plan is that there's going to be some changes ... but like anywhere else, base it on a foundation of hard work and solid discipline, building young boys into men. You want to build winning kids."

About Scott Bayer (Wrestling)

Scott Bayer, an assistant Batavia coach since 2005, has also served Tom Arlis, who coached at Naperville North High School.

Bayer was an All-American wrestler at Monmouth College in 1998. He also teaches American History at the high school.

Bayer will lead the wrestlers after Ben Morris left to move closer to his family. Morris was a 2012 inductee of the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Hall of Fame. He continued Batavia Wrestling's tradition this year with an with BHS Sophomore Anthony Scaccia.

About Brad Nelson (Tennis)

Nelson has a career overall record 205-58-17, three conference titles (2005, 2010, 2011), one sectional title (2011), and has not lost a conference dual meet since 2008. 

He has had 30 individual conference champions and 16 state qualifiers including three individual sectional champions and four all-state selections. Nelson has five girls currently playing at the college level.

Nelson replaces Bob Kummer, a Batavia teacher for 43 years and a tennis coach for 33 of those years. Kummer retired at the end of the school year.

For more local sports news, go to batavia.patch.com/sports.