Report: Toronto Raptors’ Rex Kalamian Set to Coach U20 Armenian National Team
YEREVAN (A.W.)—Reports indicate that the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Toronto Raptors’ assistant head coach, Armenian-American Rex Kalamian, is set to lead the Armenia’s National Under 20 (U20) Basketball Team.
Rex Kalamian (Photo: The Toronto Star)
“We have gotten consent from him, but we still have to get come to terms with the Toronto Raptors,” said the Vice President of the Basketball Federation of Armenia Arik Pogossian, when discussing some of the steps that have to be taken in order to make it official.
According to the Russian-based Armenian sports news website haysport.ru, Pogossian said that the Armenian U20 team can compete with any of the European teams, especially since most players have experience playing in the United States.
The Armenian U20 team will be participating in the Division B of 2017 European Championship (group A). Its opponents will be the U20 national teams of Belarus, Poland, Finland, Belgium, and Malta. The tournament will be held July 15-23, in Romania.
Rex Kalamian has been serving as the assistant head coach of the Toronto Raptors since July 2015. He has previously held coaching terms with Oklahoma City Thunder, Sacramento Kings Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Prior to the NBA, Kalamian worked as an assistant coach for East Los Angeles College. Kalamian attended East Los Angeles College, and graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a bachelor’s degree in business management.
In March 2016, Kalamian was the guest of honor at Homenetmen Toronto’s Annual Athletic Banquet, where he delivered the keynote address.
Kalamian sharing some words of wisdom with Homenetmen athletes in March 2016 at the Armenian Community Center of Toronto (Photo: Homenetmen Toronto)