Playing hoops, making friends and having a blast, basketball at ACLO

For some Hanze students, basketball at ACLO is about more than playing a game. Playing hoops can be a way to meet people, make friends and become part of a community.

‘I started playing basketball a bit late actually’, says physiotherapy alumnus Max Kaster. ‘I must have been 13, 14 years old. It really got me, I just kept playing it and I really enjoyed it.’ Max went to high school in the United States for two years and played basketball there. ‘I wanted to get very serious with it, but I didn’t make it. So I just kept playing for fun.’

When Max started at Hanze, he didn’t immediately find the basketball community. ‘In the beginning, I didn’t know about the big HG hall at ACLO. I was just booking small courts.’ He had no idea there was a basketball community and a group chat. ‘After a few weeks I was a bit like, oh, is this it? Like, maybe four years of me in this experience? I wasn’t very happy about that.’

I met a lot of nice people from all over the world, and we still keep in touch

One month later, Max discovered the larger basketball sessions after meeting someone who added him to the group chat. ‘Then I started going there every Sunday after 6pm, and then a few times during the week. I was really happy.’

The Sunday sessions could be busy, he discovered. ‘In the first year, it was the best. We had 20 and sometimes 30, 35 people. That was so good because you just have games and games and the winner stays on. You just keep going. It was really fun. By the third and fourth year, it went down to seven and five people and it wasn’t even enough for a full court 5-on-5, which was a shame.’

Max also tried to join a basketball club in Groningen. ‘There are many people who want to play, so there are a lot of teams. But in the first, second and third teams, not many people leave. When I got accepted, my options were to be a practice player or join a lower team where there was a spot. That was frustrating because I didn’t want to pay to be a practice player.’

Max made some of his closest friendships through basketball. ‘I met my two best friends through ACLO. Actually I met a lot of nice people from all over the world, and we still keep in touch. Now, when I visit their country, I can stay with them. It’s really cool.’

‘There are many people who want to play, so there are a lot of teams’

Some of Max’ best memories were not necessarily about the games themselves. ‘We’d often go back to my house or theirs, get a pizza or burrito with some Pepsi, and just have a chilled evening after playing basketball… after showering, of course. It’s a great community.’

For second-year physiotherapy student Lydia Olson, basketball at ACLO is a more recent experience. She found out about it online, signed up and went. ‘I have been playing basketball for just over ten years, I love it and love playing with new people.’

The ACLO basketball community welcomes all players, from beginners to those who really know how to shoot the ball

Lydia has noticed that there are not many girls playing. ‘There should be more considering the amount that play. Maybe they don’t know about it or otherwise don’t want to play with all the boys.’
She believes the environment can sometimes be intimidating. ‘Well, the guys may underestimate the girls and are not as welcoming as they should be. But that really is an exception.’

The basketball community at ACLO welcomes all players. ‘You have beginners, people in Crocs, people in full basketball gear who don’t know how to use it, and people without any gear who are really good. It’s a mixed bag.’

With such a mix of players, Max’s advice to newcomers is simple: ‘If you’re not very good, just be a team player, if you can’t dribble or shoot, pass the ball. People enjoy playing with someone who can pass, run and understands team play, rather than someone who loses the ball every time.’

Photo: Max Kaster (r.) on the court (photographer: Francesco Flumini)