Basketball players protected between Olympic 3×3 ambitions and play-off-final

This article was last updated on May 23, 2025

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Basketball players protected between Olympic 3×3 ambitions and play-off-final

The Eredivisief final between the Basketball Women of GBI Grasshoppers and Top chicken Lions (1-1 intermediate position in the best-of-5 confrontation) is overshadowed by the Olympic ambitions of the 3×3 basketball players. They collide with the apotheosis of the play-offs.

While Lotte van Kruistum and Alissa van der Plas are in Marseille to participate in a tournament of the Women’s Series, the professional 3×3 circuit among the women, their teammates from Grasshoppers play the third match in the battle for the national title in the regular 5-to-5 basketball ball tomorrow.

A week ago Noor Driessen and Ilse Kuijt were missing at Grasshoppers during the first game, because they played the final of the Women’s Series in Amsterdam and won.

Challenge

“Difficult, a challenge,” the 21-year-old Van Kruistum describes the position in which she ended up. “Not only for us as 3×3 players, but also for my teammates at the club, who have to play differently. But we take on that challenge. Furthermore, I don’t want to go into it too deeply; the focus must be on the 3×3 tournament in Marseille.”

The union has not taken its responsibility.

Jaap Jonker, chairman Grasshoppers

Van Kruistum, who won gold in 2023 at the 3×3 World Championship under-23, is one of the five talented players of Grasshoppers who are part of the 3×3 basketball program of the Dutch Basketball Association (NBB) supported by Sportkoepel NOC*NSF. All five have an A status with accompanying stipendium.

The union consciously focuses on 3×3. “In the regular basketball, as the Netherlands we get further and further away from the top,” explains technical director Brian Benjamin. “If you want to take a step, you have to help each other to strengthen women’s basketball. Certainly given the popularity of 3×3 and the good opportunities of women in the new Olympic cycle.”

While the 3×3 women became European champions in 2023 and took EK bronze last year, they last participated in the European title fight in the regular 5-to-5 in 1989. Dutch clubs – especially due to lack of finance – have not been playing European for years.

“Very unhappy,” Benjamin calls the now -created situation with clashing play dates. “We believe as a Bond in Hybrid Training, combining 3×3 with regular basketball in the winter. Grasshoppers also believes in this approach and is one of the better training clubs.”

That is why, according to him, there are so many women from Grasshoppers in the 3×3 program. “Do you have a club that is broad -minded and progressive and then it becomes the victim.”

Better plan

And according to Benjamin that was not necessary. “That is a matter of better planning and wanting to think more broadly,” says the technical director, but it turns out not to be that simple in practice.

Chairman Jaap Jonker of Grasshoppers believes that the NBB has done too little to move the first game of the final in particular.

“The union said that we had to come into contact with Lions ourselves. They did not honored our request. But you cannot leave this to the clubs. Those 3×3 players are full member of our association. That also creates obligations. The union did not take its responsibility.”

Benjamin sees that differently. “We are not about that. When drawing up the competition schedule, the clubs decided that they did not want to move any duels if 3×3 players were missing. We are bound by hands and feet, but they can arrange it among themselves.”

Lions from Landmeer believes that it has good reason not to cooperate. “Grasshoppers wanted to move the game to Monday, but then we have much less income than on Saturday and moreover our room,” says chairman Tine Nat. “To be honest, I think it’s quite a pathetic hassle. Their players are paid by the union, they already know this.”

Uncomfortable

“This is very uncomfortable for the players,” Benjamin admits. “This is the challenge we have together. If you want to take basketball to a higher level, then everyone will have to step over their own shadow. For next season we have ensured that the competition ends earlier, so that the chance of Clashes in the play-offs is as small as possible.”