BS_Leiden
ZZ Leiden
Dutch basketball club
ZZ Leiden Basketball, also known as Zorg en Zekerheid Leiden, is a professional basketball club based in Leiden, Netherlands. The club plays in the BNXT League, the domestic first tier league. Their home games are played at Sportcomplex 1574.[1]
| ZZ Leiden | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Leagues | BNXT League | |||
| Founded | 23 September 1958; 65 years ago (1958-09-23) | |||
| History | List
| |||
| Arena | Sportcomplex 1574 | |||
| Capacity | 2,435 | |||
| Location | Leiden, Netherlands | |||
| Team colors | Blue, Navy, White, Green | |||
| Main sponsor | Zorg en Zekerheid | |||
| President | Marcel Verburg | |||
| Team manager | Rob van Hooven | |||
| Head coach | Doug Spradley | |||
| 2022–23 position | BNXT, 1st of 20 (champions) | |||
| Championships | 2 BNXT League 5 Dutch Championships 4 Dutch Cups 4 Dutch Supercups | |||
| Retired numbers | 1 (6) | |||
| Website | www | |||
| ||||
ZZ Leiden has won the national championship five times, the NBB Cup four times, the Dutch Supercup a record four times and the BNXT championship twice in a row. Leiden was a European Club Winner's Cup semi-finalist in 1980. They also made the semi-finals of the FIBA Europe Cup in 2022.
The old Leiden team (1958–1986)
On September 23, 1958, the club was founded as Bona Stars by Ton Kallenberg, a physical education professor at a school in Leiden. In 1967 the club entered the eredivisie, the highest professional basketball league in the Netherlands under the name BS Leiden.
When Parker became the main sponsor of the club in 1977 Leiden won its first national championship (1977/1978). During this era the team finished five times as runners-up in the league. In 1979/1980 Leiden reached the semi-finals of the European Club Winner's Cup (later: Saporta Cup, ULEB Cup or EuroCup), their best European result up till now. In 1986, Leiden was forced to leave the eredivisie, due to the absence of a main sponsor. The team played five years in the Promotiedivisie, the highest non-professional league, before pulling out of the Dutch basketball pyramid.
The Rise of ZZ (2006–2010)
On February 16, 2006, it was announced that Leiden would return at the highest stage in the Netherlands.[2] The team got a new main sponsor in Zorg en Zekerheid and would play its games in the Vijf Meihal.
After being quarter- and semifinalist in a few seasons, Leiden returned to the top of the Netherlands in 2010. Leading players of the ZZ team were Danny Gibson, who was named the DBL Most Valuable Player Award in 2009–10, and Seamus Boxley. The club won its first NBB Cup, by beating ABC Amsterdam in the championship game. In the Semi-final, heavy favorites Groningen were defeated. In the Playoffs Semi-finals, ZZ once again faced Groningen. The team put up a fight against the top seed, but eventually fell short 3–2.
Back at the top of Dutch basketball (2010–present)
In the 2010–11 season, ZZ Leiden came back on top of the Dutch basketball world as best club. In the regular season, the team finished first. The second DBL title was eventually won, after beating Groningen 4–3 in the Finals. The deciding game 7 turned out to be historic, including three overtimes, which ended in 96–95.[3]
The following year the team its second NBB Cup, but was defeated in the Finals of the DBL. ZZ Leiden also reached the Round of 16 in the EuroChallenge 2011-12 after their second place in the first group stage this season. In 2013 the team got its third national championship, by going undefeated in the play-offs and beating Aris Leeuwarden in the Finals.
The 2013–14 was a struggling one for Leiden. The team ended on the 4th place in the regular season and lost in the Semifinals to Groningen. After the end of the season, Leiden decided to part ways with head coach Toon van Helfteren.[4] Van Helfteren eventually won six trophies with Leiden.
Main sponsor Zorg en Zekerheid extended their contract with 3 years in the 2014 offseason,[5] and a new head coach was signed in Eddy Casteels.[6] In the 2014–15 season, Leiden finished 2nd in the regular season, but once again was eliminated by Groningen in the Semi-finals.
In 2019, Leiden won the NBB Cup after defeating Landstede Zwolle 87–69 in the final.[7]
On 17 May 2020, Leiden signed Geert Hammink as its new head coach for the 2020–21 season.[8] Leiden went on to capture its fourth DBL championship.[9] Star players of the team were league MVP Emmanuel Nzekwesi and Playoffs MVP Worthy de Jong.
Since the 2021–22 season, Leiden plays in the BNXT League, in which the national leagues of Belgium and the Netherlands have been merged.[10] On 11 June 2022, Leiden won the inaugural BNXT championship.[11] De Jong was named the league's Finals MVP and retired from professional basketball after. Leiden also had its best performance in Europe ever, reaching the semifinals of the 2021–22 FIBA Europe Cup.
After the successful season, coach Hammink signed with Skyliners Frankfurt;[12] star player Worthy de Jong retired from professional basketball. In July 2022, Roberts Štelmahers was acquired as the club's new head coach.[13] However, Stelmahers later signed another contract with Nymburk in the Czech Republic, causing Leiden to seek a replacement.[14] On August 15, Leiden signed Doug Spradley as new head coach to a one-year contract.[15]
On 12 March 2023, ZZ Leiden won their fourth-ever Cup title after beating Landstede Hammers 72–70 in the Landstede Sportcentrum.[16] On 29 May 2023, they won their fifth national title following a Game 5 win over Donar, despite trailing by 16 points 2:40 before the ending of the game. Thomas Rutherford scored two game-winning free throws to seal the championship. The win meant that Leiden won its first national double (both the league and cup titles) in club history.[17]
From its re-inception in 2006 to 2023, Leiden used the Vijf Meihal as its home arena. The arena, which is also used for gymnastics of high school students, is nicknamed De Schuur (The Barn) by ZZ Leiden fans.
The municipality of Leiden replaced the Vijf Meihal with the newly built Indoor Sportcentrum, which was announced to have a capacity of 2,435 people.[18] The new name was later announced to be Sportcomplex 1574, named after the year of the Siege of Leiden after which the city was liberated from Spanish rule.[19] Construction of the €24 million arena began in 2012 and finished in 2023.[20][21] The sporting hall was named the "Aad van der Luit Topsporthal". The decision by the municipality of Leiden to build was heavily criticized by ZZ Leiden as the number of seats is below FIBA's minimum of 3,000 seats for international games. In its first season, ZZ Leiden was forced to withdraw from the Basketball Champions League because of the size of the Sportcomplex 1574.[22] On 15 October 2023, the inaugural basketball game was played at the arena when Leiden played BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque in the FIBA Europe Cup.[23]
- Vijf Meihal (2006–2023)
- Sportcomplex 1574 (2023–present)
- Former logo of the parent club
- Parker Leiden (1977–1983)
- Elmex Leiden (1983–1986)
- Zorg en Zekerheid Leiden (2006–present)
The list only includes records since ZZ Leiden was established in 2006. Bold denotes still active with team. As of the end of the 2019–20 season:
| Most points scored | |
|---|---|
| Player | Points |
| Worthy de Jong | 5,686 |
| Mohamed Kherrazi | 2,538 |
| Seamus Boxley | 2,429 |
| Arvin Slagter | 1,407 |
| Clayton Vette | 1,377 |
| Most rebounds | |
|---|---|
| Player | Rebounds |
| Worthy de Jong | 2,231 |
| Mohamed Kherrazi | 1,940 |
| Seamus Boxley | 1,064 |
| Johan Kuijper | 775 |
| David Chiotti | 751 |
| Most assists | |
|---|---|
| Player | Assists |
| Worthy de Jong | 1,247 |
| Mohamed Kherrazi | 684 |
| Arvin Slagter | 540 |
| Rogier Jansen | 491 |
| J.S. Nash | 445 |
Current roster
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.
| ZZ Leiden roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Updated: September 25, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Retired numbers
| ZZ Leiden retired numbers | ||||
| N° | Player | Position | Tenure | Ceremony date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Worthy de Jong | SG | 2010–2016, 2017–2022 | October 22, 2022[24] |
Notable players
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.
| Criteria |
|---|
|
To appear in this section a player must have either:
|
Toon van Helfteren- Mitchell Plaat
- Worthy de Jong
- Thomas Koenis
- Arvin Slagter
- Ross Bekkering
- Jessey Voorn
- Joshua Duinker
- Mohamed Kherrazi
Sergio De Randamie- Sean Cunningham
- Jeroen van der List
- Marijn Ververs
- Emmanuel Nzekwesi
Art Collins- Danny Gibson
- Thomas Jackson
- Seamus Boxley
- Darius Thompson
- Carrington Love
- Maurice Watson Jr.
David Chiotti
Drago Pašalić
Nuni Omot
Einaras Tubutis
Individual awards
- Asbjørn Midtgaard – 2022
- Worthy de Jong – 2022
- David Collins – 2023
- Worthy de Jong – 2022
- Worthy de Jong – 2022
- Art Collins – 1978
- Jerry Beck – 1984
- Toon van Helfteren – 1986
- Danny Gibson – 2010
- Worthy de Jong – 2016
- Darius Thompson – 2019
- Emmanuel Nzekwesi – 2021
- David Chiotti – 2009
- Danny Gibson – 2010
- Ronny LeMelle – 2010
- Seamus Boxley – 2011, 2012
- Thomas Jackson – 2012
- Worthy de Jong – 2013, 2015, 2016, 2021
- Ross Bekkering – 2013
- Joshua Duinker – 2014
- Carrington Love – 2018
- Maurice Watson, Jr. – 2019
- Darius Thompson – 2019
- Emmanuel Nzekwesi – 2021
- Mohamed Kherrazi – 2015, 2016, 2019
- Worthy de Jong – 2021
- Dylon Cormier – 2016
- Rogier Jansen – 2017
- Sergio De Randamie – 2019
- Riley LaChance – 2021
- Worthy de Jong – 2011
- Joey Schelvis – 2009
- Joshua Duinker – 2014
- Emmanuel Nzekwesi – 2021
- Ruud Harrewijn – 1985
- Toon van Helfteren – 2010, 2011, 2012
- Geert Hammink – 2021
National competitions
Regional competitions
- BNXT League[11]
- BNXT Supercup
- Runners-up (1): 2021
| Season | Tier | League | Pos. | Cup | Supercup | BNXT League | European competitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967–68 | 1 | Eredivisie | 6th | ||||
| 1968–69 | 1 | Eredivisie | 8th | ||||
| 1969–70 | 1 | Eredivisie | 5th | ||||
| 1970–71 | 1 | Eredivisie | 3rd | ||||
| 1971–72 | 1 | Eredivisie | 8th | ||||
| 1972–73 | 1 | Eredivisie | 6th | ||||
| 1973–74 | 1 | Eredivisie | 7th | ||||
| 1974–75 | 1 | Eredivisie | 5th | ||||
| 1975–76 | 1 | Eredivisie | 10th | ||||
| 1976–77 | 1 | Eredivisie | 10th | ||||
| 1977–78 | 1 | Eredivisie | 1st | ||||
| 1978–79 | 1 | Eredivisie | 2nd | 1 Champions Cup | |||
| 1979–80 | 1 | Eredivisie | 2nd | 2 Saporta Cup | |||
| 1980–81 | 1 | Eredivisie | 2nd | 2 Saporta Cup | |||
| 1981–82 | 1 | Eredivisie | 3rd | 2 Saporta Cup | |||
| 1982–83 | 1 | Eredivisie | 3rd | 3 Korac Cup | |||
| 1983–84 | 1 | Eredivisie | 2nd | ||||
| 1984–85 | 1 | Eredivisie | 2nd |
||||
| 1985–86 | 1 | Eredivisie | 4th | ||||
| 1986–91 | Five seasons in Promotiedivisie | ||||||
| 1991–06 | Inactivity | ||||||
| 2006–07 | 1 | Eredivisie | 8th | Quarterfinalist | |||
| 2007–08 | 1 | Eredivisie | 9th | ||||
| 2008–09 | 1 | Eredivisie | 8th | ||||
| 2009–10 | 1 | Eredivisie | 3rd | Champion | |||
| 2010–11 | 1 | DBL | 1st | Champion | 3 EuroChallenge | ||
| 2011–12 | 1 | DBL | 2nd | Fourth round | Champion | 3 EuroChallenge | |
| 2012–13 | 1 | DBL | 1st |
Semifinalist | Champion | ||
| 2013–14 | 1 | DBL | 4th |
Runner-up | Runner-up | 3 EuroChallenge | |
| 2014–15 | 1 | DBL | 3rd |
Semifinalist | Runner–up | ||
| 2015–16 | 1 | DBL | 3rd |
Runner-up | 3 FIBA Europe Cup | ||
| 2016–17 | 1 | DBL | 3rd |
Quarterfinalist | |||
| 2017–18 | 1 | DBL | 2nd | Runners-up | |||
| 2018–19 | 1 | DBL | 3rd | Champions | Runner-up | 4 FIBA Europe Cup | |
| 2019–20 | 1 | DBL | 5th[lower-alpha 1] | Quarterfinals | Runner-up | 4 FIBA Europe Cup | |
| 2020–21 | 1 | DBL | 1st | Quarterfinals | |||
| 2021–22 | 1 | BNXT | 3rd | Semifinalist | Champion | 3 Champions League | |
| 4 FIBA Europe Cup | |||||||
| 2022–23 | 1 | BNXT | Winner | – | |||
- The 2019–20 season was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
ZZ Leiden made its debut in the European stage in 1978 when it entered the European Champions Cup. In 1982, Leiden played in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup, qualifying as hosts of the competition.
| Competition | GP | W | D | L | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 FIBA Champions Cup / EuroLeague | 6 | 5 | – | 1 | .833 |
| 2 FIBA Saporta Cup / ULEB Cup / Eurocup | 28 | 16 | – | 12 | .571 |
| 3 Basketball Champions League / Korac Cup / EuroChallenge | 32 | 10 | – | 22 | .313 |
| 4 FIBA Europe Cup (since 2016/2017) | 46 | 23 | – | 23 | .500 |
| Total | 112 | 54 | – | 58 | .482 |
Key
- (N) = Neutral venue
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| Coach | From | To | Honours |
|---|---|---|---|
 Henry Blom | 1975 | 1981 | |
| Ton Boot | 1981 | ||
| Theo Kinsbergen | 1982 | ||
| Ruud Harrewijn | 1983 | 1986 | |
| Ivo Boom | 2006 | 2008 | |
| Toon van Helfteren | 2008 | 2014 | 2 Dutch Basketball Leagues, 2 NBB Cups, 2 Dutch Supercups |
 Eddy Casteels | 2014 | 2016 | |
| Paul Vervaeck | 2016 | 2018 | |
| Rolf Franke | 2018 | 2020 | 1 Dutch Cup |
| Geert Hammink | 2020 | 2022 | 1 BNXT League, 1 Supercup DBL,1 Dutch Basketball League |
  Doug Spradley |
2022 | present | 1 Dutch Cup |
- "Dutch Basketball League - Teams" (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 July 2011.
- "BS Leiden terug in Eredivisie" (in Dutch). Sleutelstad. 14 February 2006. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- "ZZ Leiden kampioen" (in Dutch). NOS. 29 May 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- "ZZ Leiden niet verder met coach Toon van Helfteren". Omroepwest.nl. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
- "Zorg en Zekerheid nog drie jaar basketbalsponsor Leiden". Omroep West (in Dutch). 29 May 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
- "Eddy Casteels wordt ook coach van Nederlandse Leiden". HLN.be (in Dutch). 30 May 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
- "Basketballers ZZ Leiden veroveren nationale beker". nos.nl. 31 March 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- "Geert Hammink nieuwe coach ZZ Leiden". Eredivisiebasketballleiden.nl. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- "Ruime zege bezorgt basketballers Leiden eerste landstitel sinds 2013". nos.nl (in Dutch). 27 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- "Licenties BNXT League 2021-2022 toegekend". Basketball League (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- "ZZ Leiden first BNXT League champion". BNXT League. 11 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- "Offiziell: Geert Hammink übernimmt die Skyliners Frankfurt in der Basketball-Bundesliga". hessenschau.de (in German). 17 June 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- "Roberts Stelmahers nieuwe coach van ZZ Leiden". www.eredivisiebasketballleiden.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 July 2022.
- "Onaangename verrassing voor ZZ Leiden". www.eredivisiebasketballleiden.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- "Douglas Spradley nieuwe coach ZZ Leiden". www.eredivisiebasketballleiden.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- "Leiden wint spannende basketbalfinale van Zwolle, dat die beker maar niet kan winnen". nos.nl (in Dutch). 12 March 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
- "Spektakel in basketbalfinale, ZZ Leiden sleept titel voor de poorten van de hel weg". nos.nl (in Dutch). 29 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- "Indoor Sportcentrum". Gemeente Leiden. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- RadioGuys.nl. "Indoor Sportcentrum heet Sportcomplex 1574". Sleutelstad. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- RadioGuys.nl. "Bouw Indoor Sportcentrum start eind van het jaar". Sleutelstad. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- Dieleman, Tom (2 September 2023). "ZZ Leiden staat voor stap naar hal van 24 miljoen euro: 'Er is zó veel mis'". www.omroepwest.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- Weber, Natasja (28 June 2023). "Basketballers ZZ Leiden moeten Champions League laten schieten: te weinig zitplaatsen op de tribunes". De Volksrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- "ZZ Leiden allereerste keer in nieuwe hal". www.eredivisiebasketballleiden.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- "Worthy is een Leidenaar!". www.eredivisiebasketballleiden.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- "Landskampioenen, bekerwinnaars en competitiewinnaars" (in Dutch). J-dus.com. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
- "Super Cup" (in Dutch). J-dus.com. Retrieved 16 March 2018.