29th edition of Holland Nordic Basketball Tournament
On April 4, 5, and 6, 2026, 20 teams from many countries will compete in a positive way to take home the coveted HNBT Gerard Bolhuis Challenge Cup.
The following teams have been contracted for the U19 category:
Falco Gent – Belgium; Bakken Bears, Århus – Denmark; EWE Baskets, Oldenburg and Bayer Leverkusen – Germany; Bray de Dunes – France; BS Tornado, Kaunas, – Lithuania; Donar, Groningen – Netherlands; Alcala Basket – Spain.
The U14 has no fewer than 12 teams from 11 different countries:
BC Ostend – Belgium; OKK Sloboda Tuzla – Bosnia; CanElite, Toronto – Canada; Bakken Bears, Å rhus – Denmark; BC Halle and GV Waltrop – Germany; Basket Nus Fénis Ayas – Italy; BS Tornado, Kaunas, – Lithuania; OPEN-BC, Celaya – Mexico; BV Groningen – Netherlands; UKS Katowice – Poland; Lokomotiv Pl ž en – Czech Republic.
In addition to a number of established names, there are also new teams and/or countries to be spotted, such as: CanElite (Canada), Bakken Bears (Denmark), GV Waltrop (Germany), Bray de Dunes (France), OPEN-BC (Mexico), Alcala (Spain) and Lokomotiv Pl ž en (Czech Republic).
In the U19 category, Lithuania (winner in 2024), Bayer Leverkusen (winner of the previous edition), Bakken Bears (with their solid academy), and the Spanish team are among the favorites. However, the ball is round, and history offers no guarantees. On April 6, we will know who the true winner of the U19 main tournament has been.
There are several contenders in the U14 category. CanElite (ranked number one in Canada), Lokomotief Plž from the Czech Republic (featuring many players from national teams), and Bosnian OKK Sloboda (always strong competitors) are expected to make a strong showing. But there will undoubtedly be plenty of surprises in this age group as well.
All in all, we wish the participants a successful HNBT and a good journey to our beautiful Groningen.
Spectators are also very welcome to attend the games. The U19 class will compete in Scharlakenhof, Haren, and the U14 class will compete in Europapark.
Special thanks also to all the volunteers and sponsors who made this edition of the HNBT possible again.
Let's all enjoy it again and see you at Easter.
Bart Prak (founder)