On September 27, 2017, North American Premier Basketball (NAPB) announced a team that will play in Kansas City, Missouri, and Calvin Thompson would be the head coach and general manager.[1] On November 10, the team name was revealed as the KC Buzz as well as naming the assistant coaches and first players signed.[2] On November 20, 2017, Georgia Tech sent a request to the Kansas City team to change the name and logo since they "have the trademark on the bumblebee as well as the word B-U-Z-Z." that is attached to their mascot Buzz.[3] By the end of the month, the NAPB team had changed their moniker to the Tornados, sometimes written as "Tornado's" by their social media.
The Tornados started their inaugural season playing their home games at the Municipal Auditorium. However, by March 2018, the team began playing home games at Avila University due to scheduling issues.[4]
After their inaugural season, the NAPB changed its branding to The Basketball League (TBL). Concurrently, the Tornados rebranded as the grammatically correct Tornadoes. They also announced they were pursuing a new venue and named Eddie Corporal as the head coach. Kevin Loder was named chief operating officer of the team.[5] On July 28, 2018, Loder announced via Facebook Live that the team will be competing at the Hy-Vee Arena.[6]
After the season began, the Tornadoes ran into several scheduling issues leading to canceled and rescheduled games. The team decided to end their season early and sit out of the playoffs despite having the second best record at the time.[7] The team did not return for the 2020 season.
