Their presence in Fresno was about more than a bustling crowd and a victorious game. It marked the beginning of the team’s ultimate journey to the 2028 Olympics and honored the late Jerry Tarkanian, described by the Basketball Hall of Fame as “one of basketball’s all-time great characters.” Tarkanian’s son, Danny Tarkanian, was recognized at the game along with his family.
“It was very touching, and it was a great honor to have it named after my father, because my father was so close with the Armenian community,” Danny said. “He would be having a great time if he were alive and able to watch it.”
The FCC Gymnasium was packed with excited fans waving Armenian flags, shouting their support for the team and holding custom-made towels commemorating Jerry Tarkanian.
“The energy was amazing, because everybody’s Armenian around us,” said attendee Anita Boghossian.
Boghossian explained that, while she is not a huge basketball fan, she still wanted to come out and join the action.
“Wherever there’s [an] Armenian sport event, we’re there to support them,” she said.
Head coach Rex Kalamian spoke about the importance of showing up for fans in the diaspora. In Fresno alone, there are approximately 50,000 Armenians.
“I think that we have a lot of talent, and we want to display the talent and make sure that the fans feel like they can support our team,” Kalamian said. “I want to be a team that every group, every region of Armenians can support.”
Before and during the game
Before the game, Kalamian gave insight into the team’s attitude heading into the matchup with Costa Rica, which he described as “really good.”
“We had five really good practices. Everybody’s gotten adjusted to the time zone now,” he said.
Players on the Armenian team come from all over the world—including Spain, Armenia and the United States. Despite the geographical challenges, Kalamian is confident that the team will exponentially progress.
“I think we’re a resilient group. Whether we’re down a lot or we’re up, we continue to fight. We continue to play hard and we persevere,” he said. “I use the word resiliency a lot with our team, because I think it’s a natural thing.”
Though hopeful for the game, Kalamian admitted he had some concerns about how Armenia would compete against Costa Rica.
“I haven’t seen Costa Rica; I’m a little worried because we’re not as big,” he said. “We have three bigs, and other than that, we’re kind of average height.”
After the teams warmed up and the audience settled in, the game commenced at 7 p.m.