Leaders of Unites #113 - Joeri Dassaud

My name is Joeri Dassaud and I am eighteen years old. I was born and raised in Amsterdam and I still live in De Pijp, next to the Tabithaplein. It is the place where I played a lot as a child and where I still come regularly.

I am half Dutch and half French. My father is from the Netherlands and my mother from France. My mother studied law in Paris and was on exchange in Amsterdam. There she met my father, who worked in a bar.

At first she went back to France, but when my father sent her a love letter by mail, she was convinced. She started studying at the Rietveld Academy here. I also have a sister. She inspired me to start playing basketball.

As a child I played a lot outside with friends. We were often at the Tabithaplein. At first we played football there, later I managed to convince my friends to play basketball. I like playing on outside courts, because there you can make your own plan.

I really wanted to play basketball, because my sister did it too

Also, at age five I became a member at BC Apollo in Amsterdam. I really wanted to play basketball, because my sister did it too. I used to be obsessed with her. There was just one problem: once at Apollo I hit a mental barrier.

At the moment the training started, I withdrew. I blocked. I think I was just very shy. I didn’t dare to play with older boys. I stood on the side during the first trainings. After that, I built it up slowly. First I joined for five minutes, then ten minutes, and so on.

Only after five or six weeks did I feel completely comfortable, but since then I really enjoy it. Why that rough start happened, I don’t dare to say. I’ve always found it hard to mix into a group. At the basketball club I was also the youngest of the team.

At Apollo I heard for the first time about the 3X3 Leader Course through Jacopo Bertotti. That seemed like something for me: I was already looking for a side job and I knew it would be good for my personal development. During the Leader Course I learned to step outside my comfort zone.

I now approach people more easily to ask them something or to have a small talk, even if I don’t know them well. At first I would only say ‘hello’, for example. Now I start a conversation much more easily, without feeling awkward.

For two years now I have focused more on coaching

I also benefit from it during the activations I do for 3X3 Unites. On Thursday afternoon we organize 3x3 games on the Henrick de Keijserplein. For that I have to recruit young people myself. We also give basketball lessons in primary schools to groups 5, 6, 7 and 8. 

Besides that, I also use the life skills I learned during the 3X3 Leader Course at Apollo. I always played in the selection teams in the youth, but for two years now I have focused more on coaching. Since this season I am the head coach of the under-sixteen youth team.

It goes very well. I like working with young people and teaching them something. Unfortunately, the results are still disappointing. We have lost many matches. That took some getting used to for me. Of course I would have liked to win more games, but the result is not the only thing that matters.

I find it beautiful to see how the youth develop and I am also interested in their life outside basketball. How is their home situation and how is it going at school? As a coach I try to oversee the whole package. If I can help them with something, it feels pretty good.

I have learned to take responsibility. During the 3X3 Leader Course you had to make sure your event was a success. If you didn’t do anything, there was no event. As a team coach it’s the same: I determine the game plan and tactics. If I don’t do that, everyone runs around randomly.

Next to my role as coach at Apollo, I started studying Public Administration and Organization Sciences last year at the Vrije Universiteit. It is a lot of reading, I still have to get used to that. But I find the lessons super interesting.

I mainly still play basketball on outside courts in the summer. When the weather is nice, we meet up with friends. Once we are playing, it feels just like the old days again.