Amzil takes long basketball journey to Detroit Mercy

In basketball, it’s all about balance – having the right footing, the precise timing of a jump, and the perfect release of a shot. For Latifa Amzil, though, life has demanded a balancing act far beyond the hardwood of the court.  

Two Worlds, One Identity   

Born to a Moroccan father and Finnish mother in the quiet town of Kotka, some hundred kilometers West of Finland’s capital city Helsinki, Amzil, who plays basketball at Detroit Mercy, grew up straddling two cultures that appear impossible to reconcile. Yet, those very differences became the foundation of her unique identity – the blend of cool, Finnish independence and familial, Moroccan warmth.  

Amzil’s childhood saw her navigate two rich cultures that couldn’t manifest more differently, but the uniting language of sport helped her sail seas and shape an identity that spans continents. Then, when opportunities for professional ball became bleak, it had massive consequences on Amzil’s ever-evolving question of purpose and her pursuit of it.  

Truthfully, Amzil’s answer was always there; it just wasn’t apparent at first.  

“Success for me will be when I find my purpose and know what I’m supposed to do,” she said, before pausing and nodding as if to confirm the thought and then repeating it. “Yeah, when I find my purpose and know what I’m supposed to do.” 

But this answer could only be concluded years down the line after academic and professional experiences that are as polarizing as her two homelands.  

When it came to basketball, the love for hooping sparked out of that familial bond. But the worst kept secret is that basketball wasn’t always the sport of choice in the Amzil household. It started with her father, who spent his entire youth years playing soccer. So did her younger brother, Mustapha, and eventually, Latifa herself followed in their footsteps – literally – kicking instead of throwing a ball for several years.  

Sidelines to Spotlight  

Everything changed when her brother Mustapha started playing basketball. She was interested as well but spent the first couple years as a spectator from the stands of her brother’s matches and the local Finnish women’s basketball club’s matches.  

“I used to go watch his [Mustapha’s] games,” she recalled. “One time, I remember I was watching a game, and I was like, ‘OK, I think I want to start basketball.’”  

This started in the form of a sibling rivalry but soon blossomed into a personal passion of Latifa’s.  

Amzil recalled the time when she was hooping in her family’s yard with Mustapha, who at the time was much smaller and less physical than her.  

“We were playing one-on-one, and I went past him,” she chuckled, “and I was about to score until he got mad, and he pushed me.”   

This was mostly laughing material at the time, but it actually developed character in the young woman who was about to embark on a massively impressive journey of her own.  

The professionality came to Amzil as quick as a fast break.  

“The next week [after watching her brother’s game], I went to practice and I just started,” she said.  

At that point, what began as an experiment soon grew into a passion. Amzil’s talent, too, quickly became evident.  

Before long, she was no longer just watching games from the stands; instead, Amzil was playing on the court for her hometown club. By her second year of playing, her family made a pivotal move to Helsinki so that both Latifa and Mustapha could attend a specialized sports academy.  

“They were really supportive,” she said about her parents. “My dad… he printed whole workouts and gave it to us. He always wanted us to get better and better.”  

 There, her skills sharpened, and it was little time before she surpassed the same women she once watched. Amzil eventually earned a spot on the Finnish under-20 national team. Her proudest moment, as she recounted, came in 2020 during the European Women’s Basketball Championships, where she helped lead Finland to reaching the Division A ranks for the first time in country history. 

“That was huge for us,” she said, grinning at the memory. “You know, we made history! We made it to Division A!”  

Her voice said that with an underlying disbelief, as if she still could not believe that she was part of the team which spearheaded such an iconic moment.  

“That was probably one of the best memories,” she said. 

This success not only shaped Amzil’s teenage years but also offered a path to bigger opportunities in adult life and opportunities in the United States.   

The American Dream  

Amzil landed several offers abroad. The United States was now suddenly the newest chapter in her book, and the first page took her to Cisco College in Cisco, Texas.  

Now in the pursuit of “the American dream,” Amzil was unfamiliar with the nightmares that also came with this journey, and unfortunately, while there were sporadic successes, Amzil’s stint in the States is marked more with struggles, at least professionally.  

From few highlight-worthy moments during freshman year, to a COVID-19 impacted sophomore year, to very little playing time at Chipola, to moving from one part of the country to the other, competing became ever-so-slightly crummier for Amzil.  

Joining the Titans in 2023 for her final two years was reflective of more than an interest in basketball.  

“I’ve kind of changed my mind,” she said, suddenly sounding a lot more confident.  

Amzil said that while she came to Detroit with the intention of playing ball professionally post-academia, completing the last year [2023] and this year have triggered a switch mentally.  

Career Beyond the Court  

Amzil then broke the news that, even though she believes she will have a chance to play abroad in the European leagues, she is “not going to play professionally after this year.” But it’s not a loss of passion that leads to this; it’s thinking more “realistically” of future potential, she admitted. The fact of the matter is, even though basketball has long been number one for Amzil, purpose has always been the priority. And the hard truth is that her greatest potential is not with basketball; Amzil’s talents extend elsewhere, too.  

“I want to either be [an] administrator in some type of health facility, or do medical sales,” she said.  

And her hope is to stay in the States and finally achieve that dream if she can resolve some impending visa worries. 

 “After I get my master’s, I want to start my career and have a job in medical health,” she said.  

Basketball, which she spent a large chunk of her life with, has not gone in vain, though. Amzil believes the game of basketball prepared her to face anything in life – both the successes and setbacks.  

“I feel like I can get through anything now because of basketball,” she affirmed. “I just trust God that I’m on the right path.”  

As Amzil nears the end of her basketball and academic career at the University of Detroit Mercy, she’s preparing to step into a future where the court is no longer the center stage, but she can remain the same forward force she always has been.