Leaders of Unites #130 - Jaier Ooft

4 March, 2026

'I want to inspire and motivate young people so they can pursue their dreams earlier than I did.'

I do not come from an average family; my father is an artist and is often away

My name is Jaier Ooft and I am 16 years old. I was born in Nieuwegein, but I did not live there for long. When I was 1, our family moved to Driebergen. I still live there with my parents and younger sister. My older brother moved out on his own earlier this year.

We are not an average family, because my father is away a lot for work. He is an artist and writes music for artists. For example, he is currently in Norway for a writing camp. When he is home, he shows me love, for sure. But I have an especially strong bond with my mother and sister, because we are often at home together.

I also get along very well with my brother. We talk on the phone a lot now that he no longer lives at home. He asks how things are going at school and with my relationship. I used to look up to him. He played football, which is why I also started playing football as a child. I wanted to make him proud and I really had talent. But about two years ago, I lost the enjoyment.

I watch my games tapes to see what I can do better next time

I was 14 when I first came into contact with basketball. I watched a basketball film with a friend and we were immediately sold. That was what we wanted to do. The next day, my friend’s father bought a ball and we went to the court ourselves. From that moment on, we were there every day. We often played one-on-one.

It still took a while before I joined a club. My family wondered whether it was a wise choice to switch from football to basketball. To them, I was the football player and I was also good at it. Are you sure? You are already quite old, they said. But I was sure.

I started at Blue Arrows in Driebergen and it turned out I also had talent for basketball. I now play at Dunckers in Hilversum. The level there is much higher than at Blue Arrows. Sometimes I wonder whether the step from the fifth to the first division was not too big. At Blue Arrows I often scored about 25 points per game. Now there are times when I do not score at all.

On the other hand, I like to challenge myself. I want to get better every day. I watch many of my games back to see what I can do better next time. During training I try to make sure I have to guard the best players. And when I see a basketball player do a cool trick in a video, I go to the court and try to learn it as well.

I always found it difficult to speak in front of a group. Since I completed the 3X3 Leader Course, that has become easier

I first heard about 3X3 Unites through a friend. He told me about the World Tour and a 3x3 tournament in Amsterdam Bijlmer. I took part in that with friends. The funny thing is that in the beginning I had a completely different image of 3X3 Unites: I thought they were looking for players for their own basketball team.

But once I understood what 3X3 Unites really does and heard about the 3X3 Leader Course, I immediately signed up together with a friend. I was curious, although I have to admit that I had doubts after the first meeting. I arrived late and my friend was not there at all. We had to answer many questions and there was little basketball. I thought: I hope I will enjoy this.

But that was the case from the second meeting onward. We had a nice group and the mix between basketball and personal development was good. What I learned most was speaking in front of a group; I always found that very difficult. I do not know why, but often I simply could not do it.

Now it goes much better. During the final event I had to stop the play of a basketball game because I had to indicate that, due to lack of time, there were only 2 minutes left instead of 4. Before, I would have found that very difficult. But now I asked for the ball and calmly explained what was going on. It felt very good that I took the initiative myself without hesitation.

When my grandmother sadly passed away, I really wanted to have the statue of Jesus on the cross

When my grandmother passed away, we divided her belongings among the family. I took the statue of Jesus on the cross. My grandparents were Christian and in the past I often talked with my grandmother about faith. Faith was a source of support for her.

I also draw strength from faith. I believe that Jesus protects me from injuries that would prevent me from ever playing basketball again. And I believe that I can achieve more with the strength and support of Jesus. When my grandmother sadly passed away, I really wanted to have the statue of Jesus on the cross. It means a lot to me.

I keep the statue among my personal care items such as my toothbrush, deodorant, perfume, face cream and so on. That may sound like a strange place, but there is a thought behind it. It is the place I go first when I wake up in the morning and the last place before I go to bed at night. That way I gain strength at the start of the day and I also end the day well.

I want to inspire and motivate young people so they can pursue their dreams earlier than I did

I do not yet know what I want to become later. First I want to obtain my vmbo diploma. I am in my exam year and things are going well. Furthermore, the largest part of my life is organized around basketball. If I do not have team training, I am often training by myself. Otherwise, I am with family, friends or my girlfriend.

For 3X3 Unites I organize activations on the court in Leidsche Rijn on Sundays. I enjoy being active in sports during the weekend and teaching children something. In the future I would like to organize more activations and at busier locations. That way I can inspire and motivate even more young people so they can pursue their dreams earlier than I did.