Swords Thunder
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Use Irish English|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox basketball club
| name = Swords Thunder
| color1 = black
| color2 = white
| color3 = red
| logo =
| imagesize =
| leagues = Super League
| founded = 2011
| dissolved = 2019
| history = Dublin Thunder
2011–2013
Swords Thunder
2013–2019
| sponsor =
| arena = {{abbr|ALSAA|Aer Lingus Social and Athletic Association}} Sports Complex
| location = Dublin Airport, Dublin
| colors = Red, black, white
| president =
| vice-presidents =
| coach =
| championships =
| website =
}}
Swords Thunder was an Irish basketball team based in Dublin. The team competed in the Super League and played its home games at the ALSAA Sports Complex.
History
=Dublin Thunder=
In 2010, Dublin Thunder Basketball Club was founded.{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/pg/Dublin-Thunder-Basketball-Club-179380342139702/about/|title=Dublin Thunder Basketball Club|work=facebook|accessdate=24 September 2019}} The following year, founder member Dave Baker became the inaugural coach of club's senior men's representative team. Aligned with Dublin Business School,{{cite web|last=O'Connor|first=Ruaidhri|url=http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/basketball-champions-killester-aim-for-star-as-new-season-gets-in-gear-26777116.html|title=Basketball: Champions Killester aim for Star as new season gets in gear|work=independent.ie|date=30 September 2011|accessdate=24 September 2019|quote=...while Isaac Westbrooks and Michael Goj have joined the Dublin Business School's side Dublin Thunder.}} Baker applied for national league status, but rulings required them to have played at least one year at local level before playing in the national league. With the Dublin league being full, Dublin Thunder entered the European Friendly Basketball League (EFBL). Between July 2011 and January 2012, they went unbeaten in the EFBL. They also boasted a friendly record of 27–1, having played 28 games against four American colleges, a pro team from the Philippines and five SuperLeague teams.{{cite web|last=Mooney|first=Brendan|url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/other-sports/thunder-set-to-make-noise-in-big-time-181713.html|title=Thunder set to make noise in big time|work=IrishExaminer.com|date=27 January 2012|accessdate=24 September 2019}} On 27 January 2012, Dublin Thunder won the Basketball Ireland Senior Men's National Cup with an 87–45 win over UCD Marian in the final.{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/basketball/2012/0126/290669-nationalcupfinals/|title=National Cup finals preview|work=rte.ie|date=26 January 2012|accessdate=24 September 2019}}{{cite web|last=Lakes|first=Colm|url=http://www.universityobserver.ie/sport/thunder-too-powerful-for-ucd-marian/|title=Thunder too powerful for UCD Marian|work=universityobserver.ie|date=1 February 2012|accessdate=24 September 2019}}{{cite web|last=O'Donoghue|first=Ross|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/other-sports/templeogue-slight-favourites-for-novel-national-cup-final-1.2514302|title=Templeogue slight favourites for novel national cup final|work=irishtimes.com|date=29 January 2016|accessdate=24 September 2019|quote=As Dublin Thunder, Baker's club won the Senior Men's Cup for lower league teams in 2012.}}
For the 2012–13 season, Thunder entered the National League Division 1.{{cite web|last=McDermott|first=Niall|url=http://thecourtsidecollective.com/national-basketball-league-returns-to-donega/|title=National Basketball League returns to Donegal|work=thecourtsidecollective.com|date=5 October 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914153316/http://thecourtsidecollective.com/national-basketball-league-returns-to-donega/|archivedate=14 September 2016}}
=Swords Thunder=
For the 2013–14 season, the team was renamed Swords Thunder after Dublin Thunder Basketball Club linked with Swords Basketball Club. They went on to finish runners-up in the National League Division 1 while securing the Three Nations Cup title in Lecce, Italy.{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/regionals/fingalindependent/sport/swords-thunder-explode-onto-scene-30466746.html|title=Swords Thunder explode onto scene|work=independent.ie|date=2 August 2014|accessdate=24 September 2019}}{{cite web|url=http://www.gazettegroup.com/sport/thunders-italian-job/|title=Thunder's Italian job|work=gazettegroup.com|date=29 May 2014|accessdate=24 September 2019}}
For the 2014–15 season, Swords Thunder entered the Premier League and finished as regular season runners-up.{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/basketball/2015/0308/685524-swords-thunder-secure-league-runners-up-finish/|title=Swords Thunder secure league runners-up finish|work=rte.ie|date=8 March 2015|accessdate=24 September 2019}}
In the 2015–16 season, Thunder made their maiden final appearance in the Hula Hoops Men's National Cup, where they lost 78–75 to Templeogue.{{cite web|last=Blake|first=Ben|url=http://www.the42.ie/watch-live-swords-templeogue-basketball-2575079-Jan2016/|title=Templeogue pip GCD Swords Thunder in dramatic Men's National Cup final|work=the42.ie|date=30 January 2016|accessdate=24 September 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.basketballireland.ie/news-detail/371968/|title=RECAP: 2016 Hula Hoops Men's National Cup Final|work=basketballireland.ie|date=31 January 2016|accessdate=24 September 2019}}
In the 2016–17 season, Thunder won the Hula Hoops Men's National Cup with a 72–51 victory over Killester in the final.{{cite web|last=O'Callaghan|first=Eoin|url=http://www.the42.ie/griffith-swords-thunder-killester-national-cup-basketball-ireland-3210990-Jan2017/|title=Griffith Swords Thunder make history and claim first ever National Cup after win over Killester|work=the42.ie|date=28 January 2017|accessdate=24 September 2019}}{{cite web|last=Ryan|first=Emmet|url=http://ballineurope.com/jose-maria-gil-narbon-swords-thunder-win-irish-cup-basketball-5495/|title=Narbon shows he's in a different class as Swords claim cup|work=ballineurope.com|date=28 January 2017|accessdate=24 September 2019}} They also finished as regular season runners-up for the second time in three years.{{cite web|url=http://www.basketballireland.ie/menssuper/|title=League table for Mens Super League|work=basketballireland.ie|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322062342/http://www.basketballireland.ie/menssuper/|archivedate=22 March 2017}}
In February 2019, Swords Thunder disbanded and withdrew from the Super League midway through the 2018–19 season. The team began the season relatively well and were in third spot in November, but after founder and coach Dave Baker began suffering with health problems, the team started to fall apart and its relationship with main sponsor Griffith College began to weaken.{{cite web|last=Coughlan|first=John|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/sport/blow-for-the-super-league-as-swords-thunder-disband-902803.html|title=Blow for the Super League as Swords Thunder disband|work=IrishExaminer.com|date=7 February 2019|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20190207165904/https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/sport/blow-for-the-super-league-as-swords-thunder-disband-902803.html|archivedate=7 February 2019}}{{cite web|last=Byrne|first=Paul|url=https://www.independent.ie/regionals/fingalindependent/sport/other-sports/thunderbolt-as-swords-bow-out-of-super-league-37804914.html|title=Thunderbolt as Swords bow out of Super League|work=independent.ie|date=16 February 2019|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924091205/https://www.independent.ie/regionals/fingalindependent/sport/other-sports/thunderbolt-as-swords-bow-out-of-super-league-37804914.html|archivedate=24 September 2019}}