Hemel Storm
| Hemel Storm | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| League | NBL Division 1 | ||
| Established | 2006 | ||
| History | West Herts Warriors II 2006–2008 Watford Storm 2008–2009 Edmonton Storm 2009–2010 Hemel Storm 2010–present | ||
| Arena | Sportspace | ||
| Location | Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire | ||
| Team colours | Navy Blue / Red | ||
| Head coach |  Dave Titmuss[1] | ||
| Website | StormBasketball.net | ||
|
| |||
The Hemel Storm are a basketball team currently competing in Division 1 of the English National Basketball League. The team is based in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire and play their home games in the Hemel Hempstead Sportspace facility. Over their short history, the club has been based in several locations across Hertfordshire and North London, before settling into their current, long-term home in 2010.
The club has no formal links to the Hemel Hempstead Lakers, a former basketball club in the town which relocated to Milton Keynes in 1998. However, the Lakers' original founders are now part of the Storm's management team, and in some ways the club can be seen as a spiritual successor.[2]
Club History
Originally formed in 2006 as a feeder club for the West Hertfordshire Warriors, the club finished in third place in EBL Division Four (Midlands/South) in their inaugural season, gaining immediate promotion to EBL Division Three (South). Early in the following season, the parent team resigned from Division One due to financial difficulties, leaving the second team to carry on the name alone, but the club continued to a fourth place finish despite the off-court upheavals.[3]
The newly independent club moved their home venue to Watford's Westfield Community Sports Centre for the 2008/2009 season, the move bringing the club a new name (Watford Storm) and another third place finish. However, problems with the Westfield venue led to the club playing in Edmonton by the end of the season, leading to another short-term move to North London for the 2009/2010 season, and a further name change to the Edmonton Storm. Finally, the club moved one final time to Hemel Hempstead ahead of the 2010/2011 season, renaming themselves the Hemel Storm and bringing basketball back to the town after a 13-year absence.[4]
After settling into their Hemel Hempstead home, the club went from strength to strength over the following seasons, winning the Patrons Cup in 2010/2011 and following this up with a second placed finish in EBL Division Two in 2011/2012 as they successfully defended their Patrons Cup title. This gained the club promotion to EBL Division One for 2012/2013, since when the club have reached the end-of-season playoffs twice, and have regularly reached the quarter-finals of the National Trophy.[5]
Club Honours
- 2011, 2012
Season-by-season records
| Season[6][7] | Division | Played | Won | Lost | Points | League | Playoffs | National Cup | National Trophy | Patrons Cup | National Shield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Herts Warriors II | |||||||||||
| 2006-07 | EBL Division 4 (Midlands/South) | 16 | 12 | 4 | 24 | 3rd | Quarter-Final | DNE | DNE | DNE | Runner-Up |
| 2007-08 | EBL Division 3 (South) | 22 | 13 | 9 | 26 | 4th | Quarter-Final | DNE | DNE | DNE | 3rd Round |
| Watford Storm | |||||||||||
| 2008-09 | EBL Division 3 (South) | 24 | 18 | 6 | 36 | 3rd | Quarter-Final | 3rd Round | DNE | DNE | 3rd Round |
| Edmonton Storm | |||||||||||
| 2009-10 | EBL Division 2 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 26 | 4th | Semi-Final | 2nd Round | DNE | 1st Round | DNE |
| Hemel Storm | |||||||||||
| 2010-11 | EBL Division 2 | 20 | 12 | 8 | 24 | 5th | Quarter-Final | 2nd Round | DNE | Winners | DNE |
| 2011-12 | EBL Division 2 | 20 | 16 | 4 | 32 | 2nd | Quarter-Final | Quarter-Final | DNE | Winners | DNE |
| 2012-13 | EBL Division 1 | 26 | 11 | 15 | 22 | 10th | DNQ | Quarter-Final | Semi-Final | DNE | DNE |
| 2013-14 | EBL Division 1 | 26 | 18 | 8 | 36 | 3rd | Quarter-Final | 3rd Round | Quarter-Final | DNE | DNE |
| 2014-15 | EBL Division 1 | 24 | 9 | 15 | 18 | 10th | DNQ | 3rd Round | Quarter-Final | DNE | DNE |
| 2015-16 | EBL Division 1 | 26 | 18 | 8 | 36 | 4th | Quarter-Final | 3rd Round | Quarter-Final | DNE | DNE |
References
- ^ "Titmuss to Coach Hemel Storm". Hemel Storm Club Website.
- ^ "Hemel Storm, Club History". Hemel Storm Club Website.
- ^ "Edmonton Storm move to Hemel Hempstead under new management". Basketball England.
- ^ "Edmonton Storm move to Hemel Hempstead under new management". Basketball England.
- ^ "League Table History". Basketball England.
- ^ "West Herts History". pawprint75.co.uk. Archived from the original on December 26, 2008.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "League Table History". Basketball England.
