Wikipedia - Nottingham Hoods

The Nottingham Hoods are a semi-professional basketball club from the city of Nottingham, England. The Hoods, formed in 2009, compete in NBL Division 1, the second tier of the British basketball system, and play their home games at the Nottingham Wildcats Arena.

History

The Hoods were originally formed in 2009, with the men's team taking to the court as part of what was then branded as the EBL Division 4 Midlands League. The team had an impressive first season in Division Four, recording thirteen wins in the league for a second place in the regular season. The end of season playoffs were to be an even greater success though, with the Hoods coming through the National Playoffs to make the final against the unbeaten Birmingham Mets. Despite the odds, the Hoods pulled off a 59-56 victory over the Mets to be crowned 2010 National Division Four Champions, and win promotion to Division Three in their first season.

For the next three years, the club maintained a mid-table place in Division 3 (North), avoiding entanglement with the annual relegation battle while falling short of the end-of-season playoffs. This period of relative safety almost came to a disastrous end in the 2013-14 season, when an underachieving team won only 6 league games all season, and only avoided relegation by virtue of a final-day 58-60 win over fellow strugglers Derby Trailblazers II. The close brush with the spectre of relegation brought forward a renewed hunger for victory in the following year though, with the team pushing rivals Liverpool close all through the season, eventually finishing as runners-up in the league, and winning promotion to EBL Division 2 following an end-of-season review by Basketball England.

The Hoods quickly established themselves in the third tier, finishing their first two seasons in the playoff positions, and reaching the semi-finals of the playoffs and Patrons Cup. In the 2017-18 season, the club took another step forward, claiming 20 wins in a 22 game season and the Division 2 League Championship. Although denied the league and playoff double losing a nail-biting playoff final 77-80 to the Thames Valley Cavaliers, both teams had already secured a place in the second tier for the 2018-19 season.

Los Nottingham Hoods son un equipo de baloncesto profesional británico con sede en Nottingham, Inglaterra. Compiten en la British Basketball League (BBL), la liga de baloncesto profesional de más alto nivel en el Reino Unido. El equipo fue fundado en 1974 y ha ganado dos campeonatos de la BBL, en 1988 y 2006. También han ganado tres Copas BBL, en 1987, 1988 y 2006.

Los Hoods juegan sus partidos en casa en el Nottingham Arena, que tiene capacidad para 8.500 espectadores. El equipo tiene una fuerte base de fans y es conocido por su ambiente animado en los partidos en casa. Los Hoods también tienen una rivalidad de larga data con los Leicester Riders, otro equipo de la BBL.

Algunos de los jugadores más notables que han jugado para los Hoods incluyen a:

* John Amaechi: Exjugador de la NBA que jugó para los Hoods de 1995 a 1996.
* Robert Archibald: Exjugador de la NBA que jugó para los Hoods de 2006 a 2007.
* Andrew Betts: Exjugador de la NBA que jugó para los Hoods de 2003 a 2004.
* Kieron Achara: Jugador de la selección británica que jugó para los Hoods de 2008 a 2010.
* Andrew Sullivan: Jugador de la selección británica que jugó para los Hoods de 2010 a 2012.

Los Hoods son uno de los equipos de baloncesto más exitosos del Reino Unido y tienen una rica historia. Son un equipo popular entre los aficionados y siempre son un aspirante al título de la BBL.