Damian Archer always desired to play professional basketball.

As a high school baller, Archer wasn't the biggest or most noticed player. In college, he had to battle through multiple challenges to become a champion. What he knew, though, was that if you gave him a chance, he was going to everything he could to take advantage.

One of those opportunities came to pass late last month, when the former Golden Bears player and coach was given an opportunity to showcase his skills halfway across the globe.

"My agent told me about a tour that he was going to take some guys on in Armenia and asked if I wanted to go. I thought this might be my only chance to play overseas, so I just packed my stuff and took on the opportunity," Archer said.

That roll of the dice hit big. Playing for Team Dallas, Archer was arguably the best player in an 12-team tournament. After leading his squad to the tournament championship, he was signed by the Mad Foxes of the Armenian A-League. He had finally realized his dream.

"The (Mad Foxes) coaches came to me and said 'you're a professional basketball player,'" Archer said. "They said when they saw me play, they were really impressed. They just started the team a few months ago and they told me I was their first-ever draft pick."

In the championship game against the Armenian National Team, Archer scored a game-high 24 points. He was ultimately named to the All-Tournament First team after he averaged 20.7 points on 58 percent shooting from the field, 5.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds during the tournament after a slow start.

"I had severe jet lag when I first got there. I was up late. I couldn't sleep. I didn't play my best," said Archer, who played two seasons for Miles from 2017-19. "I just had to tell myself to stay motivated. From about the third day until the end, I played pretty good."

When Archer arrived to Miles in the fall of 2017, his profile showed differently. He mostly came off the bench for the Golden Bears, averaging less than 10 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists per game for a squad that won seven games and was eliminated in the first round of the SIAC Tournament.

But when Fred Watson arrived in Fairfield the next summer, Archer was at a crossroads.

"When I took over the program, Damian was on the verge of a transfer. But after we talked, he felt that I could help him elevate his game," Watson said. "I always felt he had the skillset to be great but not the mindset to be consistent.

"But over the past two years, he did a great job of continuing to develop his skillset and changing his mindset. Now you see the results of that process."

Archer said that Watson made him work hard. But he earned a spot as the starting point guard for a team that won 21 games and the SIAC Championship. Archer then remained as a student coach last season while finishing his degree requirements. He earned his degree last December and a second SIAC title in March.

"He did everything we asked of him to get to this point, all while graduating with a 3.0 GPA," Watson said. "This is what it's all about...making sure I help prepare these guys for the next phase of their lives, whether in the workforce or professional basketball."

But Archer knew he had more work he needed to do on the basketball court. He could often be found at Knox-Windham Gymnasium before the sun came up, in between classes, late at night. He would put up hundreds of shots per day, work on his ball handling and agility, doing all he could just to stay ready.

"(Coach Watson) talked to me and it motivated me to stay in the gym. I was taking 500 shots a day. Just waiting on an opportunity," Archer said.

With his professional debut just days away, Archer is able to reflect on how coming to Miles prepared him to realize his dream.

"I'd tell anyone that when you have an opportunity, you just have to seize it. When the challenge comes, you have to take it on," Archer said.

Watson added that Archer is a trailblazer for the Golden Bears program and that more is still to come.

"We have laid the foundation and established the culture here at Miles. Damian is just the first but I can assure you that more guys coming out of our program will have those type of opportunities moving forward."