Hatis was named the best sports club of 2009 by the readers of Iravunk newspapers.

Recently the Azdak Club hosted a diploma-giving ceremony to chief coach of Yerevan Hatis, Gia Ghazanchyan, his assistant Areg Vatyan, Hatis player Anna Baghdoyan and president of the Armenian Basketball Federation Hrachya Rostomyan.
Following the ceremony we interviewed the guests.

We first spoke to President of the RA Basketball Federation Hrachya Rostomyan

What is waiting for Hatis in the near future?

Brilliant future. To be more serious we have a lot to do. As they say if you have started something you must bring it to an end. We cannot let Hatis weaken or play worse in 2010-2011. Though I must confess that we shall not have the Hatis of 2009 as we imagine all the sufferings we had to overcome when we were selecting the team players. We shall never experience the feelings we had during the victory over Chevakata in Yerevan.
Now let me speak more precisely. I think that the team's core players will be maintained at the same time we need to reinforce the team by inviting 7-8 legionaries. But we shall not suffice with this. To be able to play for at least six months, the team needs to be involved in other competitions besides the EuroCup. The team needs to be fit for a tournament all the time and we need three things to do:
Firstly, we need to reinforce Hatis. Secondly, our participation in the EuroCup which starts in September 2010 depends on finances. Finally, we need to consider our chances of participating in other tournaments.

Hatis is said to have bid for a Russian championship. Is the team likely to be involved in the championship? 

I wouldn't refute the rumours. We want to be engaged in the Russian and Baltic League meetings, and negotiations are under way. On the other hand, we need not forget that the Baltic League is facing some difficulties, too. For example during my talk with the Secretary General of the League the latter said that not all the teams would be able to arrive in Yerevan because of finances. So far only 4 out of 10 teams have agreed to come to Armenia. But Hatis will participate in the games anyway as it will secure experience for the team players.

Our next question was addressed to Hatis chief coach Gia Ghazanchyan

Can we say the tournament organized by Public TV was a success? The women teams of Lebanon, Syria and Georgia were to participate in the tournament but only Homentmen (Lebanon) arrived in Yerevan.

The tournament was surely of great interest but only the team of Lebanon arrived. I can say the tournament failed though a lot of fans had come to support Hatis and were delighted to see our basketball players on the playground. The game was not a bad one but I think the stronger our rival were the more interesting the game would be.

What have you gained over the past few months? Did you leave anything undone?

We needed to have a team like Hatis and we did it. This is the most important for us. Today we witness a basketball boom throughout the country. I do hope that basketball especially women basketball, will be as popular as it was 20 years ago. After a long conversation with the President of Armenian Basketball Federation we agreed that Hatis needn't stay idle for such a long time. This was the first year Hatis appeared in an international tournament and we needed to survive. If our rival were weaker we would undoubtedly reach the next round. Russia's Nadezhda we have lost to won the leader of a Spanish championship with a difference of 10 scores.

President of Armenian basketball Federation joined our conversation

This was the worst season for holding a H1 Cup tournament at an international level. In most European and Arabic countries the heated moments of the tournament are semifinals and finals. As our basketball players were still in Armenia we decided to organize something special to end the year. We had good intentions. But we faced problems after Syria and Georgia refused to come. In September a great tournament will be held in Yerevan featuring many strong teams.

Anna Bagdoyan has participated in a few games...

When we started training there was a great difference between Anna and the legionaries we had invited. But gradually the gap was filled and today Anna is a brilliant basketball player.

Let me tell you a secret. Anna is leaving for Simferopol where she will play for a local team for three months. We are glad that our sportswoman will participate in a foreign championship and gain experience ahead of a European championship. We hope that Armenian basketball players will sign a contract with Hatis next year and will no longer play for foreign clubs.

Can't foreign basketball players get Armenian passports and be involved in the national team?

Presently we are trying to arrange a passport for Amanda Jackson as we want to see her in our team. We also seek to invite Hatis commander Bojana Vulic. The latter has some problems: she has played in a Yugoslavian team but as you know the country no longer exists as such. We have addressed FIBA and after we get their permission Vulic will join us and make Hatis more efficient. In that case, we can even hope for a good game in B Division. 

Though Anna Bagdoyan didn't want to introduce herself we learnt that she was a graduate of Yerevan University of Economics and had played in Grand Candy. Anna is never ashamed of walking beside a short boy. She is glad to be known across Armenia but has no time to surf in "Одноклассники.ru" website.
We wished success to Anna Bagdoyan and Hatis and voiced hope that the cornerstone for the development of Armenian basketball has been laid.