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	Black & Orange / Orange
Head coach	Robert Youngblood[1]
Website	StormBasketball.net
Uniforms
Home Away

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.^[3]

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 regularly reached either the end-of-season playoffs or the last eight of the National Trophy. The club's most high-profile triumph to date was to follow five years later, as the club claimed the National Cup for the first time, lifting the Cup after a 94-77 victory over Manchester Magic at UEL SportsDock.^[4]

Club Honours

Patrons Cup Champions

• 2011, 2012

Season-by-season records

References

External links

• Official Hemel Storm website