Henk Norel

Henk Norel
Norel with GBC in 2017.
Heroes Den Bosch
PositionPerformance trainer
LeagueDutch Basketball League
Personal information
Born (1987-09-17) 17 September 1987 (age 37)
Gorinchem, Netherlands
NationalityDutch
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2009: 2nd round, 47th overall pick
Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Playing career2005–2021
PositionPower forward / center
Number17, 23, 24, 25, 64, 70, 74, 77
Coaching career2021–present
Career history
2005–2012Joventut
2005–2006→Prat
2007–2008→Lucentum Alicante
2012–2017Zaragoza
2017–2018Gipuzkoa
2018–2019Breogán
2019–2020Heroes Den Bosch
2021Heroes Den Bosch
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Henk Norel (born 17 September 1987) is a Dutch retired basketball player. He currently is a performance coach for the Heroes Den Bosch of the Dutch Basketball League (DBL). He was drafted with the 47th overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He also appeared in 79 international games representing the Netherlands.

Early life

During his younger years Norel played for SV Argon, a team based in Mijdrecht. In the 2004–05 season he played for a junior team of Demon Astronauts, a professional club from Amsterdam.

Professional career

Norel, with Joventut in 2009.

Norel entered the Joventut Badalona team in 2005, but played on loan for CB Prat and Lucentum Alicante the following seasons.

In the 2009 NBA draft Norel was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 47th overall pick, which made him the 7th Dutch player who was drafted.[1]

Starting from the 2009–10 season Norel became a rotation player for Joventut in the Liga ACB.

In the 2012 offseason Norel signed a three-year deal with CAI Zaragoza, another team from the ACB.[2] In his first season his numbers rose, as he averaged 13.3 points per game and was 5th in PIR rating in the league. After Norel suffered a knee injury in May 2013, he took a long time to recover.[3] His first appearance back on the court was in January 2014.

On 26 June 2017, Norel left Zaragoza after five seasons.[4]

On 4 August 2017, Norel signed with RETAbet.es GBC.[5] In his first month with GBC, Norel received the ACB Player of the Month Award for October.[6] He was named to the All-Liga ACB First Team after the 2017–18 season.[7]

On 26 July 2018, Norel signed with Cafés Candelas Breogán of the Liga ACB.[8]

On 6 December 2019, Norel signed a contract until 2021 with Heroes Den Bosch of the Dutch Basketball League (DBL).[9] It marked the first time Norel signed with a team from his home country. In his debut season in the DBL, Norel averaged 7 points and 4.7 rebounds over seven games.

On 3 August 2020, Norel announced his retirement citing lingering knee injuries as reason,[10] but on January 9, 2021, the Heroes Den Bosch announced the return of Norel.[11] On 18 February, Norel retired again after appearing in two games.[12] He joined the club's staff as performance trainer.[13]

National team career

Norel represented the Netherlands national basketball team in international competitions. With the Netherlands, he played at EuroBasket 2017. On 17 May 2018, Norel announced his retirement from the Dutch national team, as he indicated he needed rest to focus on his club career.[14] Over an 11-year span, Norel played 79 games with the Netherlands.[15]

References

  1. ^ "Basketballer Henk Norel als 47-ste gedraft | RTV Rijnmond". Rijnmond.nl. 2009-06-26. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
  2. ^ "Holland - CAI Zaragoza to sign 3-year deal with Henk Norel | MLBB - Sports Agency WebSite Template". Mlbb.d11.gr. 2012-07-20. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
  3. ^ "Norel Injury Deals Blow To Dutch Hopes". FIBA Europe. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
  4. ^ "Henk Norel leaves Zaragozza". Sportando.com. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  5. ^ "Henk Norel inks with Gipuzkoa". Sportando.com. August 4, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  6. ^ "Henk Norel, MVP Movistar de octubre". www.acb.com (in Spanish). 31 October 2017. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  7. ^ All-ACB First and Second Team Announced
  8. ^ "Henk Norel, carácter de MVP para o Cafés Candelas Breogán - CB Breogán". CBBreogan (in Galician). 26 July 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  9. ^ "Henk Norel is officieel been Hero". Heroes Den Bosch. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Henk Norel retires at 32: "I don't want another knee surgery"". Sportando. Sportando.basketball. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  11. ^ "HENK NOREL SLUIT AAN BIJ HEROES DEN BOSCH". heroesdenbosch.com (in Dutch). 9 January 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  12. ^ Martens, Jan (2021-02-18). "Vijf operaties kregen boomlange Henk Norel niet klein, de angst voor de zesde wel". Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-11-20.
  13. ^ "Henk Norel sluit aan bij coaching staff Heroes den Bosch - Heroes den Bosch - Basketball".
  14. ^ "Basketballer Norel (30) stopt na elf jaar bij Oranje". AD.nl. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  15. ^ HENK NOREL BEËINDIGT INTERLANDCARRIÈRE