Intrepid Buzz
IRISH BASKETBALL TEAM OUTFITTED BY INTREPID SPORTSWEAR WINS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
After a surprise invitation to compete in the Basketball Ireland Men's Senior National Cup, the Dublin Thunder - a new member of the European Friendly Basketball League (EFBL) - clinched the title. The Thunder look forward to taking their talents to the Irish National League or Superleague as soon as the young team becomes eligible.
"Our acceptance into the National League Cup was a shock also to us," Dublin Thunder Head Coach David Baker said. "But we all have the same goal and that is to play at the top level as soon as possible."
After winning the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Trophy and the Belfast ESPN Invitational Tournament in 2011, and the National Cup first thing this year, the team must now turn its attention and focus to the rest of the EFBL season, where they sit atop their league with a current 29-game winning streak.
Seattle-based Intrepid Sportswear, the company whose threads the Dublin Thunder represent on the court, expressed their pride in the Thunder's most recent achievement.
"Big congrats to the Dublin Thunder on their Irish National Cup Championship!" Founder/President of Intrepid Sportswear Rob Grabow said. "Basketball continues to grow as an international sport and especially so in Europe. We're proud that a growing number of teams have chosen Intrepid Sportswear as their uniform vendor of choice."
In November 2011, Baker reached out to Intrepid Sportswear as he sought to build more support for the team. Seeing an opportunity to support a new club, Intrepid Sportswear donated a set of team uniforms to the Thunder. In light of the team's recent success, Baker admitted, "In our first year, we are doing the best we can for a self-funded club."
Grabow says that the Thunder's on-court talent is only one of many reasons it is so deserving of sponsorship. The team partners with the Dublin Business School to offer scholarships to players pursuing a one-year masters degree program - including housing and the opportunity to play for the school's basketball team, which has won back-to-back national championships. This year's team features four American players, and last year's team featured a player from Seattle, where Intrepid Sportswear is headquartered.
"This is truly a great team to be associated with, and I'm proud to say we will be sponsoring the Dublin Thunder again next year," Grabow said.
Intrepid Sportswear produces uniforms for several European teams - including France, Croatia, the Netherlands and Norway - many of which have experienced recent success. The British Basketball League's Guildford Heat, who came on board with Intrepid in December 2011, have won five of their last seven games. Offering high-quality, professional-grade uniforms for some of the best prices around the world, Intrepid Sportswear hopes to expand its European market even more over the next few years-and potentially inspire even greater success on the court.