Anton J. J. "Toon" van Helfteren (born 20 February 1951) is a Dutch former basketball player and current coach. Van Helfteren played in the Dutch Basketball League from 1971 till 1990. He was the coach of ZZ Leiden from 2008 till 2014. He also was the coach of the Dutch national basketball team for six years, starting in 2013 and ending in 2019.
 Van Helfteren in 2011 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 20 February 1951 Tilburg, Netherlands |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Listed height | 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) |
| Career information | |
| Playing career | 1971–1983 |
| Position | Head coach |
| Coaching career | 1990–present |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1971–1983 | Punch Delft |
| 1983–1986 | Elmex Leiden |
| 1986–1990 | DAS Delft |
| As coach: | |
| 1990–1992 | DAS Delft |
| 1997–1998 | EBBC Den Bosch |
| 1999-2000 | DAS Delft U22 |
| 2000–2001 | Virtus Werkendam |
| 2001–2005 | EBBC Den Bosch |
| 2005–2006 | Amsterdam Astronauts |
| 2007–2008 | Rotterdam |
| 2008–2014 | ZZ Leiden |
| 2013–2019 | Netherlands |
| 2019–2023 | Feyenoord |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As coach:
| |
Professional career
editA product of BC Paulus Tilburg in his hometown, he joined Punch Delft in 1971.[1] Van Helfteren played 19 seasons in the Dutch Eredivisie from 1971 till 1990. Between 1983 and 1986 van Helfteren was a member of Elmex Leiden, from 1986 to 1990 for DAS Delft. In 1986 Van Helfteren won the Dutch MVP award.[2]
National team career
editVan Helfteren played 207 games for the Dutch national basketball team, which makes him the all-time leader in games played for the Netherlands.[3] He debuted on 12 December 1971, against Czechoslovakia in Bremerhaven.[1]
Coaching career
editIn 2008, Van Helfteren became the coach of Zorg en Zekerheid Leiden. With Leiden, Van Helfteren won the Dutch national championship twice: in 2011 and 2013. He has also won the DBL Coach of the Year award three times when he was with ZZ, in 2010, 2011 and 2012. After the 2013–14 season Van Helfteren left the team, which he won six trophies with.[4]
On 15 April 2019, Feyenoord Basketball announced van Helfteren had signed a two-year contract with the team starting from the 2019–20 season.[5] On 10 June 2022, van Helfteren and Feyenoord extended his contract for one more season.[6]
On 21 April 2023, Feyenoord released Van Helfteren of his duties after a negative streak in the second half of the season.[7]
National team
editVan Helfteren was the head coach of the Netherlands national men's team three stints, from 1993 to 1997, from 2013 to 2015 and from 2015 to 2019. He guided the Netherlands to the EuroBasket 2017, the country's first appearance since 1987 (30 years before).[citation needed]
Personal
editIn April 2019, Van Helfteren was knighted into the Order of Orange-Nassau for his services for Dutch basketball.[1] He lives in Delft.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Onmetelijke dankbaarheid, basketbaldier Toon van Helfteren verdient zijn lintje | Leon Kersten" (in Dutch). 27 April 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ MVP award at j-dus.com (history of Dutch basketball) (in Dutch)
- ^ Special milestone for coach Van Helfteren at NBB.nl (25 July 2013) (in Dutch)
- ^ "Leiden neemt afscheid van Van Helfteren". Ad.nl (in Dutch). 13 May 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ "Van Helfteren naar Feyenoord". basketballleague.nl. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
- ^ "Toon van Helfteren langer bij Feyenoord Basketball". Zeeuw & Zeeuw Feyenoord Basketball. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
- ^ "Feyenoord Basketball en coach Van Helfteren uit elkaar". Zeeuw & Zeeuw Feyenoord Basketball. 21 April 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2023.