Leaders of Unites #140 - Ruben Olislagers

16 September, 2026

"During the Leader Course, I was mainly looking at how I could help others."

Because of my parents’ divorce, I learned that there is always sunshine after the rain

My name is Ruben Olislagers and I am 21 years old. I was born and raised in Oss. I have a sister who is two years older than me, and we have a very good relationship. I have always been able to look up to her, and she to me. We support each other in everything. The same goes for my parents. As a child, they gave me the freedom to discover things for myself and provided certain guidelines when necessary.

We have a very good home situation, despite my parents’ divorce. I was thirteen and thought my life was going to be turned upside down. At first, I was devastated when they told us. My parents sold the house and both moved somewhere else. But that bad feeling soon disappeared.

Of course, it was difficult that my parents separated. But now I dare to say that the divorce also has a positive side, as strange as that may sound. My parents still get along well with each other, and ever since then I have had not one, but two places that I consider home.

Moreover, this situation has also made me stronger. It taught me that there is always sunshine after the rain. That lesson came back a few years later: in secondary school, I had to miss a lot of classes because of my health. So much so that I eventually left school when I was sixteen, but I did so with a goal.

When I left school, I started my own little business. It has now been around for five years, and we continue to take steps forward and grow. We mainly print sportswear and corporate clothing. For example, we run the club webshops for the clubs in Oss and Den Bosch, and we continue to expand.

As an official referee, I referee in the women’s premier league; I am the youngest member of the refereeing corps

I was eight years old when I went on holiday with my parents and the campsite had a basketball court. It was love at first sight, and my parents bought me a basketball. Once we got home, I immediately took a trial lesson at OBC in Oss, and ever since then, basketball has been everything to me. Basketball is also how I met my girlfriend. We were teammates in the under-10s. After that, we lost touch for a while, but we have now been in a relationship for four years.

Since this season, I have been playing with my friends at EBBC in Den Bosch. But I am still a coach and an active volunteer at OBC in Oss. In addition, I am a national-level referee for the NBB. Next season will be my third season as an official referee. I made great strides during my first two seasons, and since last winter I have also been active in the women’s premier league (WBL), where I am currently the youngest member of the refereeing corps.

When I started refereeing, I honestly thought it would be a rather lonely existence. But the opposite is true. There is a close-knit community among the referees, especially among the younger referees. We call each other after games, regularly meet up and attend tournaments together, both in the Netherlands and abroad. We really support each other, while also having a lot of fun together. This means you can learn from and inspire each other and get the most out of yourself and your colleagues.

During the Leader Course, I was mainly looking at how I could help others

Although I have been playing basketball since I was eight and first played 3x3 basketball at the age of twelve, it was only a year ago that I came into contact with 3X3 Unites. Lenno had received my name through OBC and asked if I wanted to help set up a 3x3 programme in Oss. I wanted to say yes straight away, even before I knew it was actually a job.

I had a good conversation with Lenno. He told me all about 3X3 Unites, and I talked about my own business and my experience as a coach and referee. Eventually, Lenno asked if I wanted to lead the programme in Oss and take on the role of coordinator. I thought that would be really cool, and I have now been doing it for over a year.

Last year, I immediately took part in the first 3X3 Leader Course in Oss. I already knew many of the skills because of my experience as a coach. During the Leader Course, I was mainly looking at how I could help others. For example, with making a video or with how to present yourself in front of a group. I have always enjoyed helping others and looking for ways to connect people with each other.

I really enjoy my role as coordinator, and we have already made great progress in Oss. We have held the Leader Course twice, organise three activations per week and managed to convince the municipality to completely renovate a neglected court. We have now also convinced the municipality to create a brand-new court in another neighbourhood.

To me, a coach is more than someone who tells you how to shoot or how best to defend your opponent

I really enjoy coaching and guiding others. Whether that is with a coaching board on the sideline or with a whistle on the court. To me, a coach is more than someone who tells you how to shoot or how best to defend your opponent. It is also someone who guides or helps you off the court.

I often think back to my basketball coach during the period when my parents separated. He supported me a lot at that time and motivated me to keep going. Now that I am a coach myself, I try to take those lessons with me. Over the past two seasons, I coached the OBC under-22 team. We became champions in the second division twice and came very close to being promoted to the first division. Those were very special moments for me, the guys and the club in Oss.

I would love for us to make our 3x3 community in Oss more diverse

I currently have a pretty full schedule. I am a referee, coach and still play myself. In addition, I have my own clothing-printing business and am studying to become a driving instructor. My father has his own driving school, and I would love to help grow it together. Over the coming year, I want to discover where my greatest passion lies. For now, I would say refereeing and coaching, but we will see.

As the 3X3 Unites coordinator in Oss, I hope to further expand our community. We already have a reasonably large community, but it mainly consists of young people who already play basketball. I would love for us to make the community more diverse as well. Young people who may not be as involved with basketball, but who do feel at home within the community.