LOS ANGELES — It was the first event of its kind, but judging from the large turnout by teams and their fans that made for a lively atmosphere in the stands and an air of intense but friendly competition on the court, the First Annual Glendale Summer Classic Basketball Tournament held at the Homenetmen Glendale Ararat Chapter on Saturday and Sunday won't be the last.
Glendale Panthers Coach Avedis Melkonyan, who devised and staged the idea for a local travel ball tournament along with Tomik Ebrahamian, who coaches several Ararat age-group teams, said the tournament successfully realized the main goals he had for it — exposing the Panthers' younger age-group teams, as well as Ararat squads, to higher-level competition, and creating a tournament to unify all the teams that play under the banner of Glendale.
"[It has gone] better than expected, we are loving it; we have a lot of fans, a lot of people coming out to support us," said Melkonyan, coach of two of the Panthers' 13-and-under teams, who said the first day of games drew over 200 spectators, while Sunday's gate had already topped 100 by the early afternoon. "Everything's organized, the teams are playing together and they're cheering for each other, like Ararat teams cheering for each other and Glendale Panthers supporting Glendale Ararat.