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MORE THAN GOLD For a year, I visualized one moment every single night. Standing on top of the podium with a FIBA EuroBasket Gold Medal around my neck. It became an obsession. Two of my biggest goals this year were to win a FIBA EuroBasket Gold Medal and a CIF Championship. Every night before I went to bed, I'd picture that moment. I believed it could happen, but I had no idea how attainable it actually was. There were so many questions I had to answer. How good would we be? How quickly could I mesh players from three different countries into one team? How would I overcome a glaring language barrier? How much time would I actually have to prepare? What would the other national team rosters look like? Would they have naturalized players? How much would I have to simplify my system? After all, I practice with my varsity team back home almost 12 months a year, six days a week. Now I had less than two weeks to prepare a national team. Those questions stayed with me throughout the entire year. I wouldn't say I was stressed, but I'm someone who likes to solve every problem before it happens. I've always been overly prepared. I studied every FIBA roster, knew exactly who had aged out of U16 competition, and watched film from the previous year to understand the systems each coach liked to run. It was all part of mentally preparing myself. You can talk about winning a gold medal all you want, but there are so many moving parts that impact your ability to be as prepared as you'd like. I knew this was going to be one of the toughest coaching challenges I'd ever taken on because of everything stacked against us. Winning a FIBA EuroBasket Gold Medal also sounded crazy to almost everyone. Anytime I mentioned it, people looked at me like I was out of my mind. The last time Armenia had won a U16 EuroBasket Gold Medal was 10 years ago. What made me think that, in my first opportunity, I'd simply show up and win it? I never really cared about the noise. I know how obsessive I am. I know how hard I'll work. And nobody truly understands my work ethic except me. Fast forward, and it was finally time to travel. Our roster was constantly changing because of travel restrictions, passport issues, and a number of other factors. The final roster wasn't truly finalized until I arrived in Armenia. The flight felt heavy. I wasn't nervous. It was just different. With such limited preparation time, a major language barrier, and Andorra waiting as our first opponent, a team Armenia had never beaten in U16 FIBA history, I knew there were a lot of challenges I had to overcome before we ever stepped on the court. We landed in Armenia, got to the Olympic facility, and immediately started our two-week training camp. Every day consisted of two practices with players who only spoke Armenian, players who only spoke Russian, and players who spoke English while understanding Armenian, but not always the local dialect fluently. I'm coaching in English and Armenian while relying on a few players to translate, but we're on a basketball court, not sitting at lunch having a conversation. In real time, translating basketball terminology is extremely difficult. I quickly realized I needed to learn a few key words in Russian just to make the teaching process a little smoother. Fortunately, two things immediately started working in my favor. First, I set the standard on Day 1. Everyone knew this wasn't a "let's see how we do" type of experiment. We had one goal, and that was to win a FIBA EuroBasket Gold Medal. It was the first time Armenia had ever hosted a FIBA U16 EuroBasket, and we weren't going to let that opportunity pass us by. Because everyone bought into one common goal, building the team became much easier. We all understood our why. The second thing was something I couldn't have predicted. The chemistry. Almost instantly, the players formed a bond. Half of them couldn't even communicate with one another without using Google Translate, yet somehow it didn't matter. They were simply high-character kids who genuinely enjoyed being around each other. Watching those relationships develop so quickly was one of the biggest reasons I started believing this group had a chance. At that point I remember thinking, "Okay... maybe a couple things are actually going our way." Ironically, the FIBA draw gave us Andorra in our opening game. We had absolutely no scouting report because we were playing in the tournament's first game. The only thing I had was last year's semifinal on YouTube, where Andorra had beaten Armenia by double digits. The problem was that 10 of Andorra's players had aged out. Who knew what their new roster would look like? Everything seemed to create a little more pressure. Then again, Armenia hadn't won a U16 EuroBasket Gold Medal in 10 years, so why should there be pressure? Because I wanted it. Really wanted it. The federation wanted it. Our fans wanted it. Our country wanted it. And now I wanted to deliver it. As the days went on, practice started flowing. The players began understanding exactly what I was teaching, and eventually it became routine. After studying the previous year's advanced statistics and style of play, I knew exactly how I wanted us to play. I'm a huge believer in ball movement, player movement, and passing up good shots to create great ones. I knew if we could consistently get our assist numbers into the 30s, we'd be really difficult to beat. So that's exactly how we practiced. We spent a lot of time doing advantage drills with a heavy emphasis on moving the basketball and finding the open man. I won't lie, it started rough. Really rough. But every single day we preached the exact same concepts. Slowly, the ball started moving. The spacing improved. The decisions became quicker. By the end of camp, it was obvious how I wanted this team to play, even if you didn't understand the language I was coaching in. Think about what we were trying to accomplish. I had a week and a half with 12 players who had never played together, most of whom had just met, and we were trying to build a championship team. Good luck, right? Yeah... good luck. I also didn't want to overdo it and wear their bodies down before the tournament even started. We had to find the balance between preparing as much as possible while making sure we still had fresh legs. Every practice ended the same way. "Armenia on three!" Then one word. "Gold." Every single day. Manifest it. Believe it. Train your mind to expect it. There was no other option. Did everyone truly believe we were going to win gold? I'm not sure. At the time, it probably sounded a little delusional. I also made sure we spent time together away from basketball. We went into the city, ate together, laughed together, and got to know one another. Because if you want a team to share the basketball and play unselfishly, the first step is getting everyone to genuinely like each other. It's a simple concept. I like you, so I'll pass you the ball. It almost sounds elementary, but this mission had to be complex in its simplicity if it was going to work. The week and a half flew by. Looking back, I truly believe we accomplished everything we realistically could without overwhelming the players with information. Then came our first two scrimmages. We played a club team from Georgia and a local Armenian team. We won both games by more than 30 points. Even then, I still had no idea how good we actually were. There was only one team that was going to answer that question. Andorra. Fast forward to Andorra. Game 1 of the tournament. Before our game, I went early to watch Kosovo, the team that had just been relegated from FIBA Division B. For some perspective, Division B is full of much larger basketball countries, and Kosovo had competed in every game the year before. Division A is where you'll find countries like Spain, France, Serbia, and the European powerhouses. For comparison, think of Division A as the equivalent of Team USA on the world stage. I couldn't really compare Kosovo to us because I still hadn't seen our team get battle tested. There was only one way to find out. We went through our entire pregame routine, and I remember thinking to myself, "We've prepared as thoroughly as anyone possibly could in one week. There's nothing left to worry about." Right? The ball went up, and from the opening tip, we dominated. At one point, the score was 61-24. Andorra wasn't a bad team at all. We were simply clicking on all cylinders. We're 1-0. For the first time in Armenia's U16 FIBA history, we had beaten Andorra. Everyone was celebrating. I wasn't. I knew how long this road still was, and I knew what I really wanted. After the game, I went right back to scouting. One team immediately stood out. Malta. They played fast, shared the basketball, and had several really talented players, including a couple who had developed in Australia. Right away, I knew that game would determine who finished first in our group and earned the more favorable semifinal path. We rolled through Gibraltar in Game 2, and then all of our attention shifted to Malta. We had two days to prepare. Film. Practice. More film. Malta was explosive offensively. They played at a high pace, and their point guard was averaging more than 30 points per game. Every film session was another reminder of our language barrier. I'd be explaining concepts while multiple players translated what I was saying in real time. By then, I felt we were ready. I also understood the magnitude of the game. First place in the group was on the line, and on the other side of the bracket sat Kosovo, the tournament favorite. Truthfully, I never thought Kosovo was better than us. They were definitely bigger. Definitely more physical. But not better. The Malta game started about as poorly as it could. We couldn't buy a basket and quickly fell behind 5-0. Eventually we settled in, found our rhythm, and controlled most of the game, even though I didn't think we played particularly well. In the end, we survived. 97-90. After that game, I realized something. The theme of this entire tournament was going to be survive and advance. With so little preparation time, in-game adjustments became everything. We rolled through Monaco in our final group game, secured first place, and earned a semifinal matchup with Moldova. The biggest team in the tournament. Their starting lineup ranged from about 6'2" all the way to 6'8". They looked enormous. We finally had a day off to prepare. Personally, I felt we were the better basketball team. We were faster, deeper, and much more balanced offensively. But it's one game. Anything can happen. Pressure is a privilege. I kept coming back to the quote that's been the foundation of my coaching philosophy and the culture we've built at AGBU Basketball. It's hanging on banners throughout our gym. Pressure shouldn't bother me. But it did. We're playing in Armenia. The country hasn't won a U16 EuroBasket Gold Medal in 10 years. The federation wants this. The fans want this. I want this. We're one win away from the championship game. That day off felt heavy. We practiced, watched film, and prepared like always, but I couldn't stop thinking about what was at stake. I wanted this so badly. Game day arrived. For reasons outside of our control, the players hadn't slept much the night before. The entire trip had been a roller coaster from the beginning. We went through shootaround. Walkthrough. Pregame. As Moldova walked out of the locker room, I remember looking across the court and thinking just how massive they were. We had a big team. They made us look small. My confidence never wavered because confidence comes from preparation, and one thing about every team I've ever coached is that they're prepared. Tip-off. We couldn't make a shot. We shot under 15 percent from three and somehow still held a lead for most of the game. The gym was packed. Our fans were incredible. You could feel every possession. Then came the fourth quarter. Moldova went on a huge run. Suddenly we were in a timeout, down three, on our home floor, with seven minutes left. The entire arena was holding its breath. Lose this game, and everything we'd worked for was over. We made a few adjustments, ramped up the defensive pressure, and responded with one final run. 82-66. Disaster averted. Survive and advance. After our game, we stayed to watch Malta and Kosovo. Malta shocked everyone. They beat Kosovo 113-110. The championship was set. Malta. Round two. After we beat them in the group stage, their coach walked over and said, "See you in the finals." I'm extremely superstitious. The whole thing honestly felt like a movie. Championship day arrived. The guys were locked in. The gym was packed. The FIBA Commissioner was in attendance. The stakes couldn't have been any higher. I also knew something from experience. Beating a good team twice in a row is incredibly difficult. I had to make adjustments before they did. And I had to keep adjusting throughout the game. We needed this. Not just for ourselves. For Armenia. From the opening tip, we controlled the game. For the first time all tournament, it wasn't about surviving. It was domination. 97-68. FIBA EuroBasket Gold Medalists. It still doesn't feel real. A brand new team. Very little preparation time. A major language barrier. Plenty of moments off the court that could have derailed us. Instead, our togetherness, our chemistry, and the character of every player carried us all the way to a gold medal. Job finished. History made. A brotherhood formed. One of the biggest lessons I took away from this experience is that you don't have to speak the same language to build a bond. Basketball is a beautiful, universal game. It brings people from different countries, different cultures, and different backgrounds together under one identity and one common goal. Thank you, Armenia. We are FIBA EuroBasket Gold Medalists. What we built became so much bigger than basketball, and every single one of us will carry it for the rest of our lives. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/584e37ff579fb3cb3267544d/a2cf2f37-a84d-4bd5-82c1-8113a342cc50/137A3A0B-75EE-46A4-8576-2BF942E7ABBB.jpeg Platform - BE A STAR IN YOUR ROLE At every level of basketball—middle school, high school, college, or the pros—players are given roles. Coaches are always searching for individuals who can fill specific needs, and more importantly, players who buy into those roles. Too often, athletes bounce from school to school, never finding a true home, simply because they refuse to accept the role they've been assigned. They believe they deserve more, but overlook the fact that their role is a reflection of both their strengths and the team’s needs at that moment. Accepting a role doesn’t mean you’ll be stuck in that position forever. Every player—from the leading scorer and top rebounder to the defensive specialist and even the last person off the bench—has an impact. Some teams win simply because of the contagious energy and positivity coming from the bench. That kind of support can uplift and motivate teammates throughout an entire game. So embrace your role. Play it with pride, give it your all, and bring a positive attitude every single day. Continue to work hard in practice, and your coach will notice—eventually trusting you with more responsibility. Remember, before James Harden became an MVP candidate and a max-contract superstar, he was the sixth man on his first NBA team. Bottom line: Stay focused, keep grinding, and do what your team needs from you. If you stay committed and positive, your opportunity will come—and when it does, you'll be ready. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/584e37ff579fb3cb3267544d/fdfcacc3-04f1-49ab-b13b-bd28d1e1fdc8/TITANS-35.png Platform - Building Bonds: How Sports Enrich the School Experience Athletics are undeniably one of the most impactful aspects of school life. While school culture is often discussed, it’s easy to overlook the role sports play as the glue that brings students, staff, and athletes together—uniting them around a shared sense of pride and purpose. Everyone needs a break from the demands of daily life, and there’s no better therapy than watching athletes do what they love, students cheering on their classmates, and staff rallying behind their students. We experienced this firsthand a few years ago, when 1,200 proud fans packed the stands during a CIF playoff game to support 11 of their peers representing our school. The reality is, sports do more than entertain—they keep students out of trouble, off the streets, and focused on something greater than themselves. Athletics promote physical and mental wellness, instill motivation, foster discipline, teach the value of preparation, and create lifelong memories. After all, isn’t the true beauty of life found in the moments and experiences we create? When I reflect on my high school years, the memories that stand out most are those made on and off the court during basketball season. The game didn’t just offer me the chance to play in college—it helped me stay on track in school, develop time management skills, and earn my bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology. Academics are essential, no doubt. But athletics complete the school experience and play a vital role in building a strong, connected school community.