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WESTPORT'S OZTEMEL HELPS TEAM TO PAN-ARMENIAN HOOP GOLD
The Hour
Sept 21 2011
CT
Former Staples basketball standout Andrei Oztemel has taken his game
to new heights.
The 6-foot-6 forward, who will be going into his junior season on the
Ithaca College team, was a member of the Los Angeles-based squad that
won the gold medal late last month at the fifth Pan-Armenian Games.
The Games, conducted in the Armenian capital of Yerevan, include play
in nine sports and are open to Armenian citizens as well as men and
women of Armenian descent.
Teams represent cities, not countries, and the Los Angeles squad
that Oztemel played for was one of 24 that competed in the men's
basketball tournament.
"A lot of people don't understand the significance of these games
simply because a lot of people don't know Armenia exists," said
Oztemel, a business administration major at Ithaca. "But being of
Armenian descent and going back to Armenia is comparable to people
of Jewish descent going on birthright to Israel."
The All-Area co-MVP as a senior at Staples and a two-time All-FCIAC
pick, Oztemel and the Los Angeles squad played seven games in eight
days, culminating with an overtime win in the championship game against
a squad from Sochi, Russia, that had defeated L.A. for the 2009 title.
Oztemel called the sense of cultural pride he felt while in Armenia
"amazing."
An independent republic since the collapse of the Soviet Union in
1991, Armenia is one of the world's oldest civilizations but had been
invaded and ruled by a succession of empires.
Oztemel was selected for the team by Carl Bardakian, coach of the Los
Angeles team, after a recommendation from his Ithaca teammate, Eric
Halejian, who was the point guard on the Pan-Armenian tournament team.
After winning its first six games, Los Angeles squared off against
Sochi in a packed Miga Arena in Yerevan. The crowd of more than 2,000
included Armenian President Serge Sargisian.
With team captain Mike Danielian pouring in 49 points, Los Angeles
defeated Sochi, 93-86, in a hard-fought overtime encounter.
Los Angeles had beaten Aleppo (Syria), Stepanakert (Artsakh) and
Tehran (Iran) in the preliminary rounds, earning a spot in the
playoff round. Los Angeles downed Aleppo again in the round of 16,
and conquered by Cairo (Egypt) in the quarterfinals. The L.A. squad
then defeated Tehran in a rematch in the semifinals to earn its shot
at Sochi.
The teams from both Cairo and Tehran included professional players.
"The style of play was quite different. ... it was definitely solid
competition," said Oztemel.
"I've never won anything of that magnitude in the sport that I love,
so it was definitely special for me," said the 2009 Staples grad,
son of Glenn and Laurel Oztemel of Westport.
As a freshman at Ithaca, Oztemel played in all 28 of the Division
III Bombers' games, starting two. He was named Empire 8 rookie of
the week three times in a season in which he averaged 10.4 points
and 4.4 rebounds.
As a sophomore last winter Oztemel played in 27 games with 18 starts.
He averaged 12.9 points and 5.3 rebounds in just over 26 minutes per
game. He also connected on 40 percent of his shots from outside the
3-point line.
http://www.thehour.com/story/511525/westport-s-oztemel-helps-team-to-pan-armenian-hoop-gold
The Hour
Sept 21 2011
CT
Former Staples basketball standout Andrei Oztemel has taken his game
to new heights.
The 6-foot-6 forward, who will be going into his junior season on the
Ithaca College team, was a member of the Los Angeles-based squad that
won the gold medal late last month at the fifth Pan-Armenian Games.
The Games, conducted in the Armenian capital of Yerevan, include play
in nine sports and are open to Armenian citizens as well as men and
women of Armenian descent.
Teams represent cities, not countries, and the Los Angeles squad
that Oztemel played for was one of 24 that competed in the men's
basketball tournament.
"A lot of people don't understand the significance of these games
simply because a lot of people don't know Armenia exists," said
Oztemel, a business administration major at Ithaca. "But being of
Armenian descent and going back to Armenia is comparable to people
of Jewish descent going on birthright to Israel."
The All-Area co-MVP as a senior at Staples and a two-time All-FCIAC
pick, Oztemel and the Los Angeles squad played seven games in eight
days, culminating with an overtime win in the championship game against
a squad from Sochi, Russia, that had defeated L.A. for the 2009 title.
Oztemel called the sense of cultural pride he felt while in Armenia
"amazing."
An independent republic since the collapse of the Soviet Union in
1991, Armenia is one of the world's oldest civilizations but had been
invaded and ruled by a succession of empires.
Oztemel was selected for the team by Carl Bardakian, coach of the Los
Angeles team, after a recommendation from his Ithaca teammate, Eric
Halejian, who was the point guard on the Pan-Armenian tournament team.
After winning its first six games, Los Angeles squared off against
Sochi in a packed Miga Arena in Yerevan. The crowd of more than 2,000
included Armenian President Serge Sargisian.
With team captain Mike Danielian pouring in 49 points, Los Angeles
defeated Sochi, 93-86, in a hard-fought overtime encounter.
Los Angeles had beaten Aleppo (Syria), Stepanakert (Artsakh) and
Tehran (Iran) in the preliminary rounds, earning a spot in the
playoff round. Los Angeles downed Aleppo again in the round of 16,
and conquered by Cairo (Egypt) in the quarterfinals. The L.A. squad
then defeated Tehran in a rematch in the semifinals to earn its shot
at Sochi.
The teams from both Cairo and Tehran included professional players.
"The style of play was quite different. ... it was definitely solid
competition," said Oztemel.
"I've never won anything of that magnitude in the sport that I love,
so it was definitely special for me," said the 2009 Staples grad,
son of Glenn and Laurel Oztemel of Westport.
As a freshman at Ithaca, Oztemel played in all 28 of the Division
III Bombers' games, starting two. He was named Empire 8 rookie of
the week three times in a season in which he averaged 10.4 points
and 4.4 rebounds.
As a sophomore last winter Oztemel played in 27 games with 18 starts.
He averaged 12.9 points and 5.3 rebounds in just over 26 minutes per
game. He also connected on 40 percent of his shots from outside the
3-point line.
http://www.thehour.com/story/511525/westport-s-oztemel-helps-team-to-pan-armenian-hoop-gold