BOSTON – Michael Hagopian, of the Suffolk men's basketball team, took his talents overseas this summer representing the Rams while competing for Armenia at the FIBA U20 European Championships.
The 20th edition of the FIBA European U20 Championships, took place in three Greek cities – Chania, Rethymno and Heraklion, on the island of Crete over a nine-day span in July.
With Hagopian in the ranks, Armenia competed in Group A, earning wins over Poland (56-47) and Belgium (87-74), but the two victories would not be enough to advance to the final rounds. After being eliminated, Armenia went on to defeat Azerbaijan in an 82-80 thriller and Ireland by a 96-57 margin in the class category.
Overall, Hagopian saw action in all six games for Aremnia, averaging 29.2 minutes, 8.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per outing. The rising junior from Watertown, Massachusetts, shot at a 35.2 connection rate from the field and boasted an impressive 47.8 percentage behind the arc.
Hagopian's highlight performance came against Belgium where the 6-foot-1 guard poured in 21 points on an 8-for-15 effort from the field to go along with four rebounds. He also played a crucial role in the victory over Ireland, contributing nine points, six assists and four caroms.
An All-GNAC second team selection in 2016-17, Hagopian was selected to the Armenian U20 National Team earlier this summer.
As a freshman at Suffolk, Hagopian had an immediate impact on the court for the Rams, averaging 6.3 points and 31. rebounds per game. He surpassed those numbers as a sophomore in 2016-17, producing a team-high 14.3 points per game off a 42.3 field goal percentage, 40.3 three-point field goal percentage and an 84.7 connection rate from the charity stripe. During his sophomore season, Hagopian became the first player in over a decade to register back-to-back 30-plus point games as he dropped 34 in a 77-73 victory over Anna Maria January 28, before upstaging that performance with a 36-point day at Rivier in an 86-62 win February 2. Additionally, he added 3.1 boards and 1.5 assists per outing.
Relive Hagopian's FIBA U20 Experience Through Full Game Videos