Donar (basketball club)

GasTerra Flames celebrating winning the 2010 DBL championship

In 2009 GasTerra became the main sponsor of the club, that was renamed the GasTerra Flames.[2] Head coach Marco van den Berg stayed and a whole new team was put together. In the 2009–10 season, Donar won the 3rd national championship in club history by beating West-Brabant Giants 4–1 in the Finals.[3] Earlier, in the regular season, Flames finished in first place with a 33–3 record. The key players of the team were the Americans Matt Haryasz, Matt Bauscher, Jason Dourisseau and Robby Bostain.

The whole squad that won the 2010 title returned for the next season, except for Tim Blue. In 2010 they became the first Dutch basketball team to take part in the qualifying rounds of the new Euroleague.[4] In the regular season Donar ended on the second place, while Jason Dourisseau was named the Dutch League MVP. The team won a second NBB Cup in 2011, after beating WCAA Giants[5] The team did eventually lost in the DBL Finals to Zorg en Zekerheid Leiden 4–3 in an historic game 7 which included three overtimes.[6]

Scene of a Play-off Finals game in 2010

Head coach Marco van den Berg left after the 2010–11 season and Hakim Salem, former ABC Amsterdam coach was acquired.[7] The team brought experienced players to the team like David Bell and Alex Wesby but they couldn't meet the set expectations. In the cup competition, Flames was defeated in the quarterfinals and in the DBL semifinals it lost to EiffelTowers Den Bosch.

During the 2012–13 season Hakim Salem was fired and the Croatian coach Ivica Skelin was acquired.[8][9] Despite the coaching change, team was still swept 3–0 by Zorg en Zekerheid Leiden in the DBL semifinals.

Before the 2013–14 season it was announced that GasTerra's sponsor contract ended after the season.[10] Flames acquired Dutch top players Arvin Slagter and Ross Bekkering from defending champion ZZ Leiden and three new Americans were added to the team. On March 30, 2014 Flames won the NBB Cup by beating Zorg en Zekerheid Leiden 79–71.[11]

In the 2014 Playoffs Flames beat BC Apollo easily in the quarterfinals (2–0) and later beat ZZ Leiden after a tough series (3–2). On June 1, 2014 Donar won its 4th national title. They beat SPM Shoeters Den Bosch 76–68 in game 7 of the Finals series.[12]

In the 2014 offseason, the club announced that in the previous season, a deficit of €135,000 had arisen after mistakes made regarding the budget.[13] Therefore, the club had to cut into costs for the 2014–15 season and the budet was reduced. For the 2014–15 season, the club is known again as "Donar".[14] The team won the Supercup against Leiden and the NBB Cup Final against Den Bosch, the DBL Finals were lost 4–1 against Den Bosch.

Braal coached Donar to six trophies in five years

In the 2015 offseason, Ivica Skelin left the club and was replaced by Erik Braal who would go on to become the most successful coach in Donar history. In July 2015, former league MVP and club legend Jason Dourisseau returned to Donar.[15] In the 2015–16 season, Donar won its 5th DBL title after beating Landstede 4–1 in the finals.

In the 2016–17 season, Donar reached the second round of the FIBA Europe Cup after being defeated by Tartu in the first qualification round of the Basketball Champions League. This feat would mean Donar's best European performance in club history. The 2016–17 season was also the first season ever to record the triple crown. New Heroes Den Bosch was defeated to win the Supercup, Landstede Basketbal was defeated in the NBB Cup final as well as in the playoff finals (4–1).

In the 2017–18 season, Donar qualified for the FIBA Europe Cup after being defeated in an overtime thriller against Estudiantes in the third and last qualification round of the Basketball Champions League. As a result of the loss Donar was drafted into a Europe Cup group with KK Bosna (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Le Portel (France) and Antwerp Giants (Belgium) in which they finished 2nd. By ending in second place they earned a spot in the second round phase of the Europe Cup, playingin group L against CS Universitatea Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Belfius Mons-Hainaut (Belgium) and Keravnos B.C. (Cyprus). After a home and away win against Cluj, a clear home win against Keravnos (109-69) and a convincing home win against Mons, Donar placed 1st in this group and, for the first time in club history, qualified itself for the Europe Cup play-off phase.

Brandyn Curry was Donar's star player in the 2017–18 season

In the play-offs, Donar beat Cluj-Napoca in the round of 16 and Mornar Bar in the quarter-finals, to reach its first ever European semi-finals. In the semi-finals, Donar lost to the defending Italian champion Reyer Venezia, despite winning the second leg at home.[16] In the 2017–18 DBL season, the club has success as well behind star players Brandyn Curry, named Most Valuable Player and All-DBL Selections Thomas Koenis and Evan Bruinsma. Donar won its third consecutive DBL title on 29 May 2018, after defeating ZZ Leiden 4–0 in the finals.

In the 2018–19 DBL season, Donar struggled and found itself in the fourth place in the regular season. It defeated ZZ Leiden in the semi-finals, 0–3. However, in the finals it lost to second-seeded Landstede. In the 2018–19 FIBA Europe Cup, Donar reached the round of 16 for the second time in history.

The 2019–20 season was cancelled prematurely in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Donar was supposed to play in the NBB Cup Final against Aris Leeuwarden. On 14 April, the club announced it parted ways with coach Braal.[17]

On 17 April 2020, Croatian coach Ivan Rudež signed a three-year contract as head coach.[18] On 14 April 2021, Pete Miller was assigned as head coach replacing Rudež after disappointing results.[19] He would finish the season and, after being eliminated 2-1 in the semifinals, return to being head of Donar's youth division.

On 24 May 2021, the club announced former player Matthew Otten as the new head coach. Otten just finished his first season as head coach in the Dutch Basketball League, making it to the Cup Final with Yoast United in their first season in existence. Starting from the 2021–22 season, Donar plays in the newly formed BNXT League, in which the national leagues of Belgium and the Netherlands have merged.

The club has a rich history of names, mainly because of the different main sponsors of the team. Despite having been named differently in the past, "Donar" has always been used by supporters to describe the team.

The Donar logo introduced in 2014 features eagles, inspired by the coat of arms of the city of Groningen.

• Dutch Basketball League[23]

Winners (7): 1981–82, 2003–04, 2009–10, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18

Runners-up (5): 1987–88, 2005–06, 2010–11, 2014–15, 2018–19

• Dutch Cup[23]

Winners (7): 2004–05, 2010–11, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2021–22

Runners-up (3): 1996–97, 1999–2000, 2006–07

• Dutch Supercup[24]

Winners (3): 2014, 2016, 2018

Runners-up (3): 2011, 2015, 2017

• FIBA Europe Cup

Semi-finalist (1): 2017–18