Leaders of Unites #114 - Eteh Oritsetimeyin
"I enjoy taking initiative and being in a leadership role"
Many of my friends in Almere I've known since childhood
My name is Eteh. I’m nineteen years old and I was born and raised in Almere. I really enjoy living here. It’s the place where I’ve always felt comfortable. Many of my friends I've known since we were kids.
When I think back to my childhood, I mostly remember the hours I spent at the court in our neighborhood. In the early years, we played football there a lot. I was often there with my friends and my brothers. I have an older and a younger brother, and we’re very close.
I was eight years old when I first came into contact with basketball. The brother of one of my friends asked me if I wanted to join a try out at Almere Pioneers. Although I had never played basketball myself, I was already a fan of the sport. I watched the NBA a lot. I was a huge fan of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
I loved the spectacle: the dunks, the crazy moves, and the unpredictable scores. It often felt like anything could happen. Even if a team was far behind, a few two- or three-pointers could make it exciting again. The players never gave up. I like that mentality a lot.
Once I set foot on the court myself, I quickly found my passion. I liked it even more than football. Basketball lets you be more creative and express yourself as an individual. It was also the first time I joined a club, and I got to meet many new people.
My study to become a logistics team leader suits me well
I played for Almere Pioneers for nine years in total, but I stopped two years ago. There weren’t really any opportunities to move forward anymore, and I wanted to free up more time for my study. I’m currently studying to become a logistics team leader in Lelystad. I’m not exactly sure what I want to do after I graduate, but I still have about a year and a half left, and I really enjoy the study because it suits my personality.
At Almere Pioneers, I was often one of the players who took the lead. I was even team captain for two years. I enjoy taking initiative and being in a leadership role. So when 3X3 Unites came to our club to talk about their 3X3 Leader Course, I immediately knew it was something for me.
During the 3X3 Leader Course, I mainly learned to be patient at times, how to collaborate, and how to think in terms of teamwork. As a final project for the course, we organized a 3x3 basketball event in Almere. That was really awesome and a huge success. Everyone joined in and had a great time.
We received our certificates last year during the World Tour Amsterdam at the Gashouder. I’ll never forget that. I had never been to the World Tour before. We even received our certificates on the court, while hundreds of people were watching from the stands. Everyone applauded for us. For a moment, I felt like an NBA star.
It felt great to contribute to the World Tour Amsterdam
This year, I helped out for the first time during the World Tour Amsterdam. I was part of the ticketing team, but I also walked around a lot. Everywhere I looked, I saw smiling faces—including basketball fans from abroad. That’s not something you experience often at smaller events or regular basketball games.
As a 3X3 Leader, I haven’t organized my own event yet. But if it’s up to me, that’s going to happen soon. I want to share my passion for basketball and get others excited about it too. I know better than anyone how much fun it can be and how many new people you can meet.
Although I’m no longer a member of Almere Pioneers, I’m still very involved in basketball. I regularly play in open tournaments and I’ve also participated in a 3x3 event in Amsterdam-Noord. Plus, I sometimes referee games at my old club.
My love for basketball is still going strong. And I want to keep spreading that love in every way I can.
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