Zareh Zargaryan
Zareh Zargaryan 
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| Birthplace | Gyumri |
Former Toro Zareh Zargaryan Selected to Armenia National Team
Toros Ticker (A publication of California State University, Dominguez Hills) 12/11/2012
CARSON -- Two years after helping lead the Cal State Dominguez Hills men's basketball team to the 2010-11 California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament Title and five program records, former Toro Zareh Zargaryan has been selected as a member of the newly-established Armenia National Basketball Team.
Zargaryan will compete at the first official training camp during the 2013 summer season in Yerevan, with the team's sights set on the 2014 FIBA Europe Division C Men's Basketball Championship, Armenia's first-ever appearance in the tournament that also will host Scotland, Wales, Malta, Moldova, Andorra, Gibraltar and San Marino.
`It's truly an honor to be able to play for Armenia, and something I've been dreaming about since my childhood days" says Zargaryan.
"My time at CSUDH taught me a lot about how to win and how to compete, and my senior year was huge and a great confidence boost that helped in allowing me to take this next step."
Asked about the significance of playing on the first-ever Armenian National Team, the honor and perspective are not lost on Zargaryan.
"Being a part of the first chapter in the nation's basketball history competing in FIBA Europe, it gives the next generation of Armenian kids something to look forward to, following us as role models and wanting to represent their country when they get older, and I'm so proud to be a part of this."
Born in Gyumri, Armenia, the country's second-largest city, Zargaryan competed as a member of the Glendale, CA, team that finished 3rd at the 5th Pan Armenian Games in 2011, held in Yerevan, Armenia.
Team Armenia coach Carl Bardakian echoed Zargaryan's sentiments. "Our coaching staff and our players are fully aware of the significance and responsibility of competing under the tri-colored flag of Armenia, and we all have high expectations and goals for Zareh.
"I promised him five years ago that his boyhood dream of playing for Armenia would become a reality in the near future, and this is a great opportunity.
"We expect him to be an impact player."
Zargaryan spent two years in Carson, averaging 6.2 points and 3.3 rebounds a contest. He also shot a solid .460 from the field and .756 from the foul line, including a stellar .787 from the charity stripe in 2010-11, his senior season.
In that year, the Toros finished second in the regular season to No. 3 Humboldt State, but took the tournament title against the Lumberjacks on a turnaround 3-pointer at the buzzer in the 51-50 decision for CSUDH's first tournament title since 1986-87, and its third-overall CCAA crown.
Winner of one CCAA Player of the Week honor, Zargaryan played his best when it counted most, averaging 13.7 points in six games against nationally-ranked opponents as the Toros set five program records in 2010-11: a 16-1 start to the season; defeating the nation's No. 1 ranked team (defending NCAA Champion Cal Poly Pomona); No. 4 ranking by the NABC; a 10-game winning streak; and 23 wins in a single season.
Current CSUDH men's basketball head coach Damaine Powell equally is excited for Zargaryan's opportunity after recruiting and coaching the Armenia native for two history-making seasons.
"Zareh experienced the most growth of any player I've ever coached," begins Powell. "He came from a junior college where he wasn't the vteam's focal point and grew into one of the best players in the country as a senior.
"I know it means a lot for him to represent his country," Powell continues. "He's looking forward to not only playing in the high-pressure and high-intensity games, but also to bringing home the gold.
"He's a special person."
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