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SPORT UNITES YOUNG TURKISH AND ARMENIAN BASKETBALL PLAYERS
By Carlos Aranaga
Albuquerque Express
http://story.albuquerqueexpress.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/hfu8sjsy4hjfjdha/id/43372578/ht/Sport-Unites-Young-Turkish-and-Armenian-Basketball-Players/
Source America.com
March 1 2011
Washington -- Two dozen Armenian and Turkish basketball players, both
young men and women, came to the United States for a second round of
hoops diplomacy January 29-February 12. The teams, who first met in
August 2010 at a U.S.-hosted basketball program in Turkey, aimed to
learn about scholastic sports and leadership, and trained with former
professional star Gheorghe MureÅ~_an in Izmir and in Washington.
Funded by the U.S. State Department's SportsUnited Division and
managed by the nonprofit World Learning organization, the visits are
an international sports initiative to expose the young players and
their coaches to U.S. training methods and school sports activities,
all while fostering mutual understanding between youth of the
neighboring countries.
"We hope the program inspires Armenia and Turkey to support young
athletes and that these kinds of sports initiatives serve as a bridge
to the future for young people of both countries," said Doug Silliman,
deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara. The United
States has one of the most developed scholastic sports programs in
the world, with millions of school-age youth competing in a variety
of sports.
The first leg for the secondary-school and college-age athletes was in
Turkey, August 19-29, 2010. Players, picked from club teams in Izmir,
Turkey, and Yerevan, Armenia, began with a one-week camp in Oren,
Turkey, where they learned about youth leadership and intercultural
communications while training in basic game skills. Week two took
them to Izmir for exhibition play, to see an International Basketball
Federation championship game and take part in a basketball clinic
led by former NBA player MureÅ~_an.
A college athlete in his Romanian homeland, MureÅ~_an had a nine-year
professional career in the United States and France, including six
years in the NBA with the Washington Bullets and the New Jersey Nets.
At 2.31 meters in height, MureÅ~_an is one of the two tallest players
ever to play in the NBA.
Since retiring from professional play, MureÅ~_an has often mentored
young players in the United States and around the world. In 2004,
Muresan founded the Giant Basketball Academy, a Washington-based sports
program dedicated to the teaching of proper basketball fundamentals
to boys and girls of all ages.
In Washington, the youth teams trained and played alongside basketball
counterparts at Walter Johnson High School and St. John's College High
School, and got to work with professional and college-level coaches.
They also had the chance to watch play between Hofstra and George
Mason universities and between Georgetown University and the University
of Louisville.
Among the basketball mentors the teams met in Washington was former
Brandeis University guard Florian Rexhepi, who led a youth development
workshop for the teams. Rexhepi, originally from Skopje, Macedonia,
was the 2005 rookie of the year in the University Athletic Association,
a college conference.
"We asked him loads of questions about his basketball career," said
Masha, a player with the Armenian girls' youth basketball team. "He
helped us to understand that through basketball we can understand
life, make strong friendships and, what's the most important, play
not only for ourselves, but for the whole team."
Also in Washington, the teams took part in a hip-hop dance workshop
at the Joy of Motion Dance Center, aimed at building team cohesion
using dance as a tool. The players also took part in a basketball
clinic with players and staff from the Washington GreenHawks, part
of the Atlantic Coast Professional Basketball League.
The two teams also toured Washington sites and visited the State
Department, where they were greeted by Assistant Secretary for
Educational and Cultural Affairs Ann Stock and Deputy Assistant
Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Spencer P. Boyer.
The visiting youth teams capped their week with a clinic hosted by
the NBA's Washington Wizards before getting to see the Wizards play
the Atlanta Hawks at the Verizon Center arena February 5.
The second week took the group to Florida to watch the Orlando Magic
face off against the Los Angeles Clippers, to tour the University of
Central Florida, and to meet with peers and sports officials in Tampa.
Project organizers hope to be able to send both teams on a third leg
to Yerevan, Armenia, later this year.
A short video of the students training with the Washington GreenHawks
is available on YouTube.com.
(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs,
U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)
From: A. Papazian
By Carlos Aranaga
Albuquerque Express
http://story.albuquerqueexpress.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/hfu8sjsy4hjfjdha/id/43372578/ht/Sport-Unites-Young-Turkish-and-Armenian-Basketball-Players/
Source America.com
March 1 2011
Washington -- Two dozen Armenian and Turkish basketball players, both
young men and women, came to the United States for a second round of
hoops diplomacy January 29-February 12. The teams, who first met in
August 2010 at a U.S.-hosted basketball program in Turkey, aimed to
learn about scholastic sports and leadership, and trained with former
professional star Gheorghe MureÅ~_an in Izmir and in Washington.
Funded by the U.S. State Department's SportsUnited Division and
managed by the nonprofit World Learning organization, the visits are
an international sports initiative to expose the young players and
their coaches to U.S. training methods and school sports activities,
all while fostering mutual understanding between youth of the
neighboring countries.
"We hope the program inspires Armenia and Turkey to support young
athletes and that these kinds of sports initiatives serve as a bridge
to the future for young people of both countries," said Doug Silliman,
deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara. The United
States has one of the most developed scholastic sports programs in
the world, with millions of school-age youth competing in a variety
of sports.
The first leg for the secondary-school and college-age athletes was in
Turkey, August 19-29, 2010. Players, picked from club teams in Izmir,
Turkey, and Yerevan, Armenia, began with a one-week camp in Oren,
Turkey, where they learned about youth leadership and intercultural
communications while training in basic game skills. Week two took
them to Izmir for exhibition play, to see an International Basketball
Federation championship game and take part in a basketball clinic
led by former NBA player MureÅ~_an.
A college athlete in his Romanian homeland, MureÅ~_an had a nine-year
professional career in the United States and France, including six
years in the NBA with the Washington Bullets and the New Jersey Nets.
At 2.31 meters in height, MureÅ~_an is one of the two tallest players
ever to play in the NBA.
Since retiring from professional play, MureÅ~_an has often mentored
young players in the United States and around the world. In 2004,
Muresan founded the Giant Basketball Academy, a Washington-based sports
program dedicated to the teaching of proper basketball fundamentals
to boys and girls of all ages.
In Washington, the youth teams trained and played alongside basketball
counterparts at Walter Johnson High School and St. John's College High
School, and got to work with professional and college-level coaches.
They also had the chance to watch play between Hofstra and George
Mason universities and between Georgetown University and the University
of Louisville.
Among the basketball mentors the teams met in Washington was former
Brandeis University guard Florian Rexhepi, who led a youth development
workshop for the teams. Rexhepi, originally from Skopje, Macedonia,
was the 2005 rookie of the year in the University Athletic Association,
a college conference.
"We asked him loads of questions about his basketball career," said
Masha, a player with the Armenian girls' youth basketball team. "He
helped us to understand that through basketball we can understand
life, make strong friendships and, what's the most important, play
not only for ourselves, but for the whole team."
Also in Washington, the teams took part in a hip-hop dance workshop
at the Joy of Motion Dance Center, aimed at building team cohesion
using dance as a tool. The players also took part in a basketball
clinic with players and staff from the Washington GreenHawks, part
of the Atlantic Coast Professional Basketball League.
The two teams also toured Washington sites and visited the State
Department, where they were greeted by Assistant Secretary for
Educational and Cultural Affairs Ann Stock and Deputy Assistant
Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Spencer P. Boyer.
The visiting youth teams capped their week with a clinic hosted by
the NBA's Washington Wizards before getting to see the Wizards play
the Atlanta Hawks at the Verizon Center arena February 5.
The second week took the group to Florida to watch the Orlando Magic
face off against the Los Angeles Clippers, to tour the University of
Central Florida, and to meet with peers and sports officials in Tampa.
Project organizers hope to be able to send both teams on a third leg
to Yerevan, Armenia, later this year.
A short video of the students training with the Washington GreenHawks
is available on YouTube.com.
(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs,
U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)
From: A. Papazian