.jpg) Norel withGBC in 2017. | |
| Heroes Den Bosch | |
|---|---|
| Title | Performance trainer |
| League | Dutch Basketball League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1987-09-17)17 September 1987 (age 38) Gorinchem, Netherlands |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 2009: 2nd round, 47th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Playing career | 2005–2021 |
| Position | Power forward /center |
| Number | 17, 23, 24, 25, 64, 70, 74, 77 |
| Coaching career | 2021–present |
| Career history | |
| 2005–2012 | Joventut |
| 2005–2006 | →Prat |
| 2007–2008 | →Lucentum Alicante |
| 2012–2017 | Zaragoza |
| 2017–2018 | Gipuzkoa |
| 2018–2019 | Breogán |
| 2019–2020 | Heroes Den Bosch |
| 2021 | Heroes Den Bosch |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Stats atBasketball Reference  | |
Henk Norel (born 17 September 1987) is a Dutch retiredbasketball player. He currently is a performance coach for theHeroes Den Bosch of theDutch Basketball League (DBL). He was drafted with the 47th overall pick in the2009 NBA draft by theMinnesota Timberwolves. He also appeared in 79 international games representing theNetherlands.
During his younger years Norel played for SV Argon, a team based inMijdrecht. In the 2004–05 season he played for a junior team ofDemon Astronauts, a professional club fromAmsterdam.
Norel entered theJoventut Badalona team in 2005, but played on loan forCB Prat andLucentum Alicante the following seasons.
In the2009 NBA draft Norel was drafted by theMinnesota 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 theLiga ACB.
In the 2012 offseason Norel signed a three-year deal withCAI 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 inPIR 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 withRETAbet.es GBC.[5] In his first month with GBC, Norel received theACB Player of the Month Award for October.[6] He was named to theAll-Liga ACB First Team after the 2017–18 season.[7]
On 26 July 2018, Norel signed withCafés Candelas Breogán of theLiga ACB.[8]
On 6 December 2019, Norel signed a contract until 2021 withHeroes Den Bosch of theDutch 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, theHeroes 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]
Norel represented theNetherlands national basketball team in international competitions. With the Netherlands, he played atEuroBasket 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]