Some good news from the developing basketball program in Armenia came to BallinEurope today as the country’s federation announced the first official training camp for the newly-established men’s national team, set for the 2013 off-season in Yerevan. It’s the first step on the path to the 2014 FIBA Europe Division C Men’s Basketball Championship, Team Armenia’s first-ever appearance in the tournament.
Zareh Zargaryan, formerly of CSU Dominguez Hills, stated that “It’s truly an honor to be able to play for Armenia. I have been dreaming of this since my childhood days.” Team Armenia coach Carl Bardakian echoed the sentiments in saying that “Our coaching staff and players are fully aware of the significance and responsibility of competing under the tri-colored flag of Armenia.”
In hopes of capitalizing on recent success in FIBA tournament play, the burgeoning women’s basketball program in Armenia may be able to add a pair of college ballers from the diaspora currently enjoying some success in the U.S. in the college ranks.
Seriously hardcore readers of BallinEurope (plus possibly Azusa Pacific University alums and Armenians) may faintly recall the name Mike Danielian. 
From the ever-busy In Case You Missed It Department comes the story of the recently played fifth Pan-Armenian Games, which went down in Yerevan in mid- to late August. 
One group won’t be joining the Staples Center crowd in chanting “M-V-P! M-V-P!” for Kobe Bryant the next time he’s at the charity stripe: namely, Los Angeles’ Armenian population.
