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WORTHING THUNDER |
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Page contents: |
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| League Record | Honours | Venue | Facilities | History | Roster | Competition Record |
| LEAGUE RECORD: | ||||||
| BBL | 2008- | P. | W. | L. | ||
| N.B.L. D1/ Conf: | 1999-2008 | P. 197 | W. 147 | L. 50 | Champions: 2006, 2007 | |
| HONOURS: | |||
| EBL Div. 1 Champions: | 2006; 2007 | ||
| NBL Conf. Runners-up: | 2000; 2001 | ||
| EBL Div1 Championship Winners: | 2007 | ||
| NBL Conf. Championship Final: | 2001 | ||
| National Cup Finalists: | 2007 | ||
| National Trophy Winners: | 2004 | ||
| National Trophy Final: | 2000; 2002; 2003; 2005; 2007; 2008 | ||
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Worthing Sports Centre, Shaftesbury Avenue, Worthing.
Tel.: 01903 502 237 By Road: A24 to Worthing, then A2032 Littlehampton Road. At first roundabout look for Centurian House. Leisure Centre is signposted to left. Continue over two more roundabouts and over railway bridge; Leisure Centre is on immediate left. By Rail: British Rail to Durrington Station. Centre 3 minute walk over bridge. |
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FACILITIES:
(As far as I can recall, from ten years or so ago). 1980s Leisure Centre, with good bleacher seating. Good facilities for food and drink. |
There was a basketball team in Worthing from 1984 (when the Brighton Bears relocated just along the coast) to 1999 (when they relocated back again).
The disappointed Worthing fans quickly snapped up the franchise of the struggling Stevenage team (which itself had been relocated from Ware), and Worthing Thunder was born.
An excellent first two seasons saw them as runners up in 2000 and 2001, with an appearance in the Championship Final and Trophy Final in the former year.
They reached the Trophy Final again five times in six seasons, from 2002 to 2007, but with just a single success, in 2004.
Continuing to consolidate, they won back-to-back EBL Division 1 titles, in 2006 and 2007, also reaching the Cup Final in the latter season. With just one Final victory in eight appearances (six Trophy, one Cup and one Championship) they began to gain a reputation for falling at the final hurdle, but they threw off that tag in 2007, with victory in the Championship final.
By their high standards, 2007-8 was a disappointing season, with a third place finish in the league, and losing appearances in the Finals of the National Cup and National Trophy.
However, the club felt that the time was now right to seriously entertain the idea of stepping up to the BBL, and they did so for the 2008-9 season.
ALL-TIME COMPETITION RECORD
| SEASON | LEAGUE | CUP | CHAMPS. | TROPHY | TEAM NAME | |||||
| Div. | Pos. | / | P. | W. | L. | |||||
| 1999-2000 | NBL 1 | 2 | / 13 | 26 | 21 | 5 | x | 1/4 Final | Final | Worthing Thunder |
| 2000-01 | NBL Conf. | 2 | / 8 | 21 | 16 | 5 | 1st Round | Final | Semi Final | Worthing Thunder |
| 2001-02 | NBL Conf. | 6 | /10 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 1st Round | 1/4 Final | Final | Argyll Worthing Thunder |
| 2002-03 | NBL Conf. | 4 | /12 | 22 | 15 | 7 | x | 1/4 Final | Final | JTM.com Worthing Thunder |
| 2003-04 | NBL Conf. | 5 | /12 | 22 | 15 | 7 | 1/4 Final | Semi Final | Winners | Worthing Thunder |
| 2004-05 | EBL 1 | 5 | /12 | 22 | 13 | 9 | Semi Final | 1/4 Final | Final | Worthing Thunder |
| 2005-06 | EBL 1 | 1 | /14 | 26 | 23 | 3 | 1/4 Final | Final | 2nd Pool | Barkers (Tarring) Worthing Thunder |
| 2006-07 | EBL 1 | 1 | /12 | 22 | 21 | 1 | Final | Winners | Final | Barkers (Tarring) Worthing Thunder |
| 2007-08 | EBL 1 | 3 | /10 | 18 | 14 | 4 | Final | 1/4 Final | Final | Barkers (Tarring) Worthing Thunder |
| 2008-09 | BBL | Worthing Thunder | ||||||||
2008-9 Roster:
Names in bold have re-signed for new season.
Names in green are new signings.
Names in red have departed.
| PLAYER | Height | |||
| Colby BARGEMAN | Guard/Forward | 6' 5" | ||
| Ian BERRY | Guard | 6' 1" | Local. 2nd season | |
| James BRAME (C) | Guard | 6' 4" | 8th Season | |
| Ciaran BURNS | 6' 6" | Irish. British passport. Returned to Worthing, after 1/2 season at Brighton, 2005 | ||
| Danny HILDRETH | Guard | 6' 0" | Returned again, Jan. 07. Spent 2005-6 at Brighton. | |
| Janis IVANOVSKIS | Latvian. Returns, 2008, after a year at Aarhus School of Business in Denmark | |||
| Daniel MIDGELY | Forward | 6' 5" | 2006. Ex-Brighton Bears | |
| Ryan PATTON | Guard | 6' 0" | USA. Sheffield Arrows, 2004/05. Returns to England after injury and a spell in Qatar. | |
| Dan WARDROPE | Guard | 6' 2" | Australian-born Scottish International. From Guildford, 2008. Scottish Rocks (2004-5); Troon Tornadoes (05-6) | |
| Jonathan WOODS | Forward | 6' 8" | USA. Fresno State. Returns, 2008, after two years away | |
| Pat BATES | Forward/Centre |
6’ 10” |
Local lad. Joined via Brighton and Belmont Abbey College, USA., Jan.05 | |
| Ryan MARRAST | Forward | 6' 5" | 2006. Canadian; British passport-holder. Acadia University and Lakehead University | |
| Adam MARTIN | Forward | 6' 5" | Local - Brighton. | |
| James MOONEY | Guard/Forward |
6' 4" |
From Tralee Tigers (Ireland). US Irish passport holder. Mount St Vincent, New York (NCAA III). | |
| Okolie UGBANA | Rejoined, for fourth spell, Jan 07 | |||
| Demetrius SCOTT | Guard |
6' 2" |
Appalachian State University. | |
| Cleve WOODFORK |
6' 9" |
2007. USA. University of Tennessee Martin (NCAA I) | ||
| Gary SMITH | Director of Coaching | Became overall Director of Coaching, 2007, after eight years as Coach. Stepped in to coach again, late Oct. | ||
| Chris MAYES | Assistant Coach | Promoted to Coach, 2007. Returns, 2008, after resigning due to "personal differences", mid Oct. '07 | ||
| Rob NEWSON | Assistant Coach | Former Thunder player. Became Ass. Coach, 2007. Acting Coach in mid Oct. '07 | ||
| Daniel JENNER | Assistant Coach | Becomes Ass. Coach, 2007, after spell as Team Manager | ||
| Julian STANLEY | Team Manager | |||