Eric Halejian, of Wyckoff, Takes Gold at International Bastketball Tournament

Related Media

Wyckoff resident Eric Halejian (right) holds the winning trophy with teammate and fellow Ithaca College student Andrei Oztemel after their team took first-place honors at the 2011 Pan-Armenian Games.

ITHACA, NY (10/07/2011)(readMedia)-- Ithaca College student Eric Halejian, son of Wyckoff residents Andrea and Barry Halejian, was a member of the Los Angeles-based basketball team that won gold medal honors in the Fifth Pan-Armenian Games played in the Armenian capital city of Yerevan in late August. Currently held every two years, the Pan-Armenian Games offer citizens of Armenia as well as men and women athletes of Armenian descent the chance to return to their ancestral homeland and compete in nine sports, including basketball, volleyball and tennis. Teams represent cities, not countries, and the Los Angeles team was one of more than 100 cities worldwide (and the only one from the United States) to compete in the games, which drew over 3,200 international athletes.

"I had also played on this team in 2009, when I was going into my freshman year at Ithaca College," Halejian said. "A good family friend and fellow basketball player had approached me with the opportunity to play. At the time I had never been to Armenia, so it was a chance I couldn't pass up."

In 2009, though, the Los Angeles-based team lost in the finals by four points to the team from Sochi, Russia.

"Coming up short in such a close game, we all decided that we wanted to go back this year to try to win it all."

After winning their first six games in the 24-team field, Halejian and his teammates ended up once again facing the Sochi-based team in the final game. This time, the Los Angeles-based team beat their 2009 nemesis in overtime, 93-86. The success didn't come easy.

"In addition to playing a top team, we had to adjust to the European style of basketball, which is much different than what we're used to in America," Halejian said. "The three-point line is farther back, the ball has a different texture, the paint is wider, and the rules are slightly different. The physicality of the game is definitely heightened, and a lot of the nonsense, like complaining to the officials, isn't tolerated."

The obvious highlight of the trip was winning the championship.

"My teammates came from all over-Los Angeles, Rhode Island, New York, Connecticut, me from New Jersey-and we only practiced for one weekend in July, so we still had to develop a certain chemistry during the early going if we were to be successful in the later rounds. Once everyone became more familiar with each other, we started to click, both on and off the court. That played an instrumental role in our success."

Another highlight was being in Armenia, whose history goes back to Biblical times. Though rich in culture, Armenia has been invaded by a succession of empires, the latest being the former Soviet Union. After the U.S.S.R. collapsed in 1991, Armenia claimed its independence and formed a republic. Roughly eight million people of Armenian descent live outside the country, nearly a million of them in the United States.

"The city of Yerevan put together a well run tournament and was an excellent host," said Halejian. "I think the cultural experience was the most significant thing part of the trip. I was able to meet so many different players and fans from different parts of the world. Being in Armenia and returning to my ancestors' roots made the experience that much more special."

A junior at Ithaca College and a guard on the varsity basketball team, Halejian is majoring in journalism and minoring in Italian. He is also taking pre-professional courses that will prepare him should he decide to apply to dentistry school.

Halejian graduated from Ramapo High School in 2009. He was coached by Joe Del Bueno, earned three varsity letters, and was named first team all-Bergen County his senior year.

For more information, contact Keith Davis, Ithaca College media relations, at kdavis@ithaca.edu or (607) 274-1153.