The Den Helder Suns are a professional basketball club based in Den Helder, Netherlands. The club was founded in 2016 and currently plays in the Promotiedivisie. The Suns play their home games in the Sportcentrum Quelderduijn, which has a capacity of 1,250 people.
History After the bankruptcy of the Netherlands' professional BV Den Helder team during the 2013–14 season, a professional basketball representative team from Den Helder was missing for three seasons. In 2016, the Suns organisation was founded with the goal of making a return to the Dutch Basketball League (DBL). On June 30, 2017, Den Helder Suns announced it would return to the highest level in the 2017–18 season. On July 14, 2017, the Suns announced "Peter van Noord head coach Den Helder Suns."
In its first DBL season, Suns finished in the eight place of the regular season, above last-placed BAL. Captain Tjoe de Paula, who played for different clubs from Den Helder before, got his number retired on 19 April 2018.
Since the 2021–22 season, the Suns play in the BNXT League, in which the national leagues of Belgium and the Netherlands have been merged.
For the 2025-26 season, the clubs application for a license in the BNXT League was initially rejected due to uncertainties to meet their financial obligations throughout the season. The club reapplied for a license and was received one a month after the initial rejection. The economic uncertainties for the club however persisted, leading the club to decide not to reapply for a license for the 2026-27 season. The club expected they were going to be unable to meet the requirement of a proper basketball floor and maintaining a salary for a general manager. They hope to participate in a new league of the NBB which would be ranked between the BNXT League and the Promotiedivisie.
Season by season
SeasonTierLeagueNBB Cup Den Helder Suns2017–18 1 DBL 8th Quarterfinals2018–19 1 DBL 5th Eightfinals 2019–20 1 DBL 7th Semifinalist2020–21 1 DBL 6th First Round2021–22 1BNXT League NL 10thQuarterfinals BNXT 20th2022–23 1BNXT League NL 9thWithdrew BNXT 19th2023–24 1BNXT League NL 10thFirst Round BNXT 20th2024–25 1BNXT League NL 5thQuarterfinals BNXT 15th2025–26 1BNXT League NL 5thSemifinals BNXT 13th2026–27 2 Promotiedivisie First round
Players Retired numbers On 19 April 2018, Suns retired its first number as Tjoe de Paula was honored, who played for BV Den Helder during the periods 2001–2003, 2004–2006, 2008–2009 and 2017–18. Den Helder Suns retired numbersNoPlayerPositionTenureCeremony date 5 Tjoe de Paula G 2017–2018 19 April 2018
Current roster
Notable players
Individual awards
BNXT League Dutch Rising Star of the Year Matthijs Verhallen – 2025 DBL Rookie of the Year Boyd van der Vuurst de Vries – 2018 Boy van Vliet – 2019
DBL MVP Under 23 Boyd van der Vuurst de Vries – 2018 DBL Most Improved Player Stan van den Elzen – 2021
Top scorers by season The following players were the leading scorers for Den Helder in each DBL season: SeasonNamePPG2017–18 Tjoe de Paula14.82018–19 Boy van Vliet14.42019–20 Yarick Brussen13.12020–21 Boyd van der Vuurst de Vries14.72021–22 Ben Kovac16.3
Head coaches PeriodNameHonours 2017–2023 Peter van Noord 2023–2024 Daniel Nelson2024–2026 Paul Vervaeck2026–present Atakan Yazici
Notes
References
External links Official website (in Dutch) Eurobasket.com Den Helder Suns Page