Worthing Thunder
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| Worthing Thunder | |
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| League | EBL Division 1 |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Team History | Worthing Rebels 1999-2000 Worthing Thunder 2000-present |
| Arena | Worthing Sports Centre |
| City | Worthing, West Sussex |
| Team Colours | Black, Green and White |
| Ownership | Unknown |
| Head Coach |  Gary Smith |
Worthing Thunder is a basketball team from Worthing, England. Founded in 1999, they now compete in the second tier English Basketball League where they are considered to be one of the frontrunning teams, having dominated in recent years as well as winning the League Championship in 2006.
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[edit] Franchise history
Basketball has been played in the town of Worthing since 1984 up until 1999 when the Worthing Bears relocated to the nearby city of Brighton, where the franchise originally started. Disappointed fans looking for a new team to follow quickly snapped up the franchise of struggling Stevenage and in 1999, soon after the Bears had moved out, Worthing Thunder was born.
An excellent debut season, playing as the Worthing Rebels, saw them finish runners up in the National Basketball League Division 1, with a 21-3 record, compared to champions Teeside Mohawks' 22-2 record, as well as reaching the National Trophy final, losing 81-78 to Teeside at the Hallam FM Arena in Sheffield. The following year, 2001, saw the Thunder finish again as runners-up in the renamed NBL Conference (16-5) as well as the Playoff final, both times losing out to Plymouth Raiders.
Worthing's first silverware came in 2004 in the form of the National Trophy, a competition they had finished runners up for the two years previous (2002 and 2003). The 86-72 win against the Sutton Pumas at the University of Worcester capped off a less than memorable league campaign, where the team finished 5th in the new English Basketball League Conference (15-7).
The 2004-2005 season saw mild improvement on the league standings, finishing 4th with a less favourable 13-9 record, but the Southerners did reach the National Trophy final for the fourth time in five years, losing out this time to league winners Sheffield Arrows 83-76. However it was the 2005-2006 season that would see Worthing's biggest triumph to date, crowned as EBL Division 1 winners with a 23-3 record. The Championship playoffs were beyond reach though as the Thunder succumbed to second place Reading Rockets in the showpiece final at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena, losing by 4 points 103-99.
[edit] Home arenas
- Worthing Sports Centre (1999-present)
[edit] Trophies
[edit] League
- EBL Division One Winners: 2005/06 1
- NBL Conference Runners Up: 1999/00, & 2000/01 2
[edit] Playoffs
- NBL Conference Play Off Runners Up: 2000/01 1
[edit] Trophy
- National Trophy Winners: 2003/04 1
- National Trophy Runners Up: 1999/00, 2001/02, 2002/03 & 2004/05 4
[edit] Cup
- None
