Leaders of Unites #128 - Doah Sanal

28 January, 2026

'During the 3X3 Leader Course I learned to communicate better.'

If I could turn back time, I would have started playing basketball earlier

My name is Doah Sanal, I am 16 years old. I was born and raised in Utrecht and have a Turkish father and a Dutch mother. As a child, I often played outside with classmates and kids from the neighborhood. Most of the time we played football on the little square, but we also played other games.

I was a member of a football club for five years and then played handball for another year. That was because of my brother. He also stopped playing football and switched to handball. I thought: okay, then I’ll do that too. But I didn’t enjoy it that much and gradually became more interested in basketball. I was a member of SVO in Utrecht for three years and now play for De Dunckers in Hilversum, where I compete in the under-19 team.

I had a very good childhood. But if I could turn back time, I would have started playing basketball earlier. When I see the skills that the youngest boys at our club already have, I think: I wish I had started sooner. I would be better by now.

When I saw all those young people in action at the World Tour in Amsterdam, I thought: this is what I want too

I came into contact with basketball at a young age. My father has been playing basketball for 30 years. He talked about it sometimes, but at that time I wasn’t really interested. That changed when I started watching his training sessions and realized: I’d rather play basketball than handball.

I liked it right away. The vibe and the team feeling really appealed to me. I also quickly noticed that I had talent for basketball. I often scored and others found it difficult to defend against me. At 1.94 meters tall, I also have the right height for a basketball player, even though I play as a point guard.

When I’m not at De Dunckers, I like to go to Younity with friends, a meeting place for young people in Utrecht. There is a 3x3 court and you can do many other things there as well. A friend of mine worked there and told me that I should follow the 3X3 Leader Course from 3X3 Unites if I wanted to work there too. That sounded good to me: you can play some basketball in between, help other people, and you also get paid for it.

I was already familiar with 3X3 Unites as well: I had gone to watch the World Tour in Amsterdam. That was super cool. There was a lot going on and at every side event there were young people working. Even back then, I thought it would be really cool to help out too.

During the 3X3 Leader Course I learned to communicate better

Together with a teammate from SVO, I took part in the 3X3 Leader Course. I thought it was great to meet new people who share the same passion. I quickly clicked with the others. Everyone talked about their experience with basketball and why they wanted to become a 3X3 Leader.

During the Leader Course, I mainly learned how to communicate better. To be honest, I wasn’t much of a talker. I never really felt the need to talk to other people if it wasn’t necessary. But during the Leader Course, I had to talk and discuss things, because you had to work together a lot as a group.

Now that I’ve learned how to communicate and work together, I really enjoy meeting new people and including everyone. If I now see someone standing alone, I go up to them and ask if they want to join in or try to involve them in another way. I really would never have done that before.

I chased my favorite basketball shoes for a year and a half, so having them now feels very special

I can honestly say that I am truly obsessed with basketball, and especially with basketball shoes. I think I have about six pairs at home that I rotate between. The Kobe 9 Chinese New Year are by far my favorite shoes. They are super exclusive and only available through a raffle on a sneaker app.

I chased these shoes for at least a year and a half. I think I entered the raffle about twenty times, but every time I wasn’t selected. It drove me crazy, getting excited for those shoes again and again. You have no idea how happy I was when, two months ago, I was finally the lucky one in the draw.

I think it’s really special that I have them now. The colors match perfectly with my jersey. I usually only wear them during the last training before a game and during the game itself. The rest of the week I train in other shoes. They’re comfortable, but they still feel a bit heavy, which makes me slightly slower and makes it harder to jump as high. But I think they’re so cool that I still wear them anyway.

It is still my dream to become a professional basketball player, and I am willing to do everything for that

I am in my final year of havo. In addition, I now help out as a 3X3 Leader four Sundays at activities in Leidsche Rijn. We play pick-up games. I really enjoy working with those young people and making sure everyone has a good time.

I spend most of my free time playing basketball myself. I train five times a week and play one game per week. And if I don’t have training on Tuesday, I go to Younity with my friends to play basketball there. I hope to be able to work there soon as well. On top of that, I’ve recently started going to the gym two or three times a week to get stronger.

Once I finish HAVO, I plan to take part in a number of try-outs in Turkey with under-19 teams from clubs in the top division. My uncle knows a few coaches there and has introduced me. If I make it through the try-outs, I will move to Turkey to play basketball there. It is still my dream to become a professional, and I am willing to give everything for it.