Today, July 12, the U20 European Basketball Championship in Division B begins in Romania. In this prestigious tournament, the Armenian national team will compete in Group C, where their opponents will be the national teams of Ukraine, Hungary, Sweden, Kosovo, and Moldova.
Under the leadership of coach Gevorg Kazanchyan, the following players went to Romania:
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Tigran Mkrtumyan
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Hayk Karakhanyan
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Samvel Gevorgyan
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Edgar Gevorgyan
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Erik Karakhanyan
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Karen Melikyan
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Marat Mikaelyan
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Araik Gevorgyan
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Luka Gobedzhishvili
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Yura Melikyan
Serious Challenges for Our Team
The opponents of the Armenian national team are very serious, and this will be a real test for our youth team. The team includes several basketball players who have already been called up to the main national team of Armenia, which indicates a high level of training of our young athletes. Most of the players play in the Armenian championship, which allows them to interact well on the court, but the lack of international experience may have an impact.
Legionnaires and the Absence of a Key Player
The team also has one legionnaire from Georgia, Luka Gobedzhishvili, who brings diversity and additional skills to the game. Erik Karakhanyan and Daniel Kirakosyan were called up from Russia. Unfortunately, Daniel Kirakosyan was unable to obtain a visa to Romania and will not be able to join the team, which is a significant loss for the national team as he was considered the main point guard. Despite this, the other players are determined to show a high level of play and represent their country with dignity.
Prospects and Future
The first match of the Armenian U20 national team will take place today against Ukraine. The match starts at 16:30 Yerevan time and 15:30 Moscow time.
It is worth noting that a similar tournament may be held in Armenia in 2026, which will be an important event for Armenian basketball and will allow our athletes to perform on their home ground in front of their fans.
The online broadcast of all matches of the U20 European Championship Division B will take place on the FIBA YouTube channel.
The schedule of matches for the Armenian U20 national team:
