Newcastle Eagles

The Newcastle Eagles are a professional basketball team based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

Newcastle Eagles
Leagues	BBL
Established	1976; 48 years ago (1976)
History	EPAB Sunderland 1976–1977 Sunderland Sunblest 1977–1980 Sunderland Saints 1980–1983 Austin Rover Sunderland 1983–1984 Sunderland Maestros 1984–1985 Sunderland 1985–1986 Sunderland 76ers 1986–1990 Sunderland Saints 1990–1993 Sunderland Scorpions 1993–1995 Newcastle Comets 1995–1996 Newcastle Eagles 1996–present
Arena	Vertu Motors Arena
Capacity	3,000
Location	Newcastle upon Tyne
Team colours	Black, gold, white
Main sponsor	Newcastle Foodbank
Head coach	Marc Steutel
Ownership	Paul Blake, Ken Nottage
2021/22 position	9
Championships	Men: 7 BBL Championship 7 BBL Playoffs 6 BBL Cup 7 BBL Trophy 1 National Cup Woman: 1 WBBL Playoffs
Website	newcastle-eagles.com
Home Away

Playing in the top-tier British Basketball League and holding the franchise for Tyne & Wear, they are the most successful team in the League's history.

The Eagles moved into their own purpose-built arena, the Eagles Community Arena, in January 2019 when they hosted the Plymouth Raiders.^[1] Their traditional arch rivals are the Glasgow Rocks, however in recent years a rivalry with the Leicester Riders has also developed.

The Northumbria Northstars cheerleading team provide the cheerleaders known as the Eaglettes.

Franchise history

Early years and move to Tyneside

The club's roots can be traced back to the founding of EPAB Sunderland in 1976. The club played in Washington at the Northumbria Centre under various monikers throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, managing a second place league finish in 1983, as well as two play-off victories at Wembley in 1981 & '83.^[2] In 1995, the owner Dave Elderkin moved the club to Newcastle, to be known as the Newcastle Comets.^[2] Soon afterwards the club was bought by Sir John Hall, then the chairman of Newcastle United, adding them to his Newcastle Sporting Group of the city's football, ice hockey and rugby teams. Hall's Sporting Club group was considered by most observers to be a relative failure and upon its dissolution, Ken Nottage and Paul Blake became the Eagles' new owners. The final name change, from the Comets to the Eagles, took place in 1996. Performances remained consistent with the club achieving regular top five league placings from 1998 onwards.

The "Clean sweep" of 2005–06

The 2005–06 season proved to be the most successful in their history so far when, under the guidance of player/coach Fabulous Flournoy, the club achieved a "clean sweep" of trophies, including the BBL Cup, BBL Trophy and Championship "double".

In addition, Flournoy picked up the BBL Coach of the Year and former Villanova Wildcat, Andrew Sullivan, was voted BBL Player of the Year. Flournoy, Sullivan and Andrew Bridge were also members of the bronze medal winning England team in the 2006 Commonwealth Games during March 2006.

Recent times

At the start of the 2007–08 season it was announced that Nike and Northern Rock were to sponsor the Eagles, bringing in more money to the club. Also, the signing of Richard Midgley gave great hope that the eagles could challenge Guildford Heat to regain the BBL League title. However, after a bust up with player/coach, Fab Flournoy he soon left to join the Everton Tigers. This meant there was no point guard and this led to the signing of Bryan Defares who could not settle in England and he too left. Finally, at the third attempt, Steve Leven (former NBA prospect) was signed despite his bad boy reputation. After defeat in the BBL Cup, then later defeat in the BBL Trophy Final the Eagles were in danger of having a poor season. Fortunately, after a miraculous overtime win against Guildford Heat, they won the BBL League Title.

At the start of the 2008–09 season they were strengthened by the signing of Trey Moore from Cheshire Jets. After an indifferent start, they embarked on a 17 match winning run to become the first team for nearly two decades to retain the BBL title, finishing 8 points ahead of Everton Tigers. They also reached the semi-finals of the BBL Cup, losing narrowly to Everton Tigers on aggregate before gaining revenge by beating them home and away in the BBL Trophy semi-final. The Eagles beat Guildford Heat at The Spectrum in the Final. In the play-offs they narrowly avoided an upset after seeing off Cheshire Jets 88–83 before beating Plymouth Raiders to form a match against Everton Tigers once again. Despite 30 points from ex-Eagles Richard Midgley, the Eagles held on for a 97–94 win, therefore winning the treble to cap off their most successful season since the clean sweep.

In the 2009–10 season the Eagles again retained the BBL title, finishing 2 points ahead of Sheffield Sharks. The league title actually came down to the last game of the season with Sheffield Sharks losing their last game of the season 97–95 to Worthing Thunder thanks to Evaldas Zabas' basket 4 seconds from the end. This completed the double for the Eagles who had won the BBL Trophy by beating 111–95 in the Final at The Spectrum. In the BBL Cup Eagles lost 64–61 in the quarter-finals to Cheshire Jets and in the play-offs Everton Tigers beat the Eagles 190–158 on aggregate in the two legged semi-final.

At the start of the 2010–2011 season it was announced that the Esh Group, along with partners Northumbria University and Northumbrian Water would be the new main sponsors of the Eagles.^[3] In the BBL Cup the Eagles were beaten 204–182 on aggregate by the Mersey Tigers in the semi-finals. Eagles had won the first leg at home 97–90 but lost the second leg away 114–85. It was the Mersey Tigers who would beat the Eagles in the semi-finals of the BBL Trophy also. After a rare first leg draw (82–82) away from home, the Eagles went down 77–74 at home.

Modern era

 

Rahmon Fletcher was one of Eagles' star players, with three won BBL Cup MVPs.

The club repeated the feat of 2005–06 by winning all of the trophies on offer in a season for a second time 2011–12. The previous season was the first time since 2003–04 that they had failed to win a trophy. They lost 7 league games, 3 less than in 2005–06, although this time around they were only required to play 30 games, 10 less than in 2005–06. They clinched the clean sweep with a victory over Leicester in the play-off final on 12 May. A hat-trick of sweeps was completed in the 2014–15 season.

Eagles Community Arena

In January 2019, the Eagles moved into their own purpose-built arena on the Scotswood Road.^[4] Success did not follow them there at first, as they crashed out of the BBL Trophy, BBL Cup and BBL Playoffs without reaching any finals, and finished 3rd in the BBL for the second consecutive season.

On the night of their first preseason game ahead of the 2019-20 British Basketball League season, the club was rocked by the announcement that head coach Fabulous Flournoy would leave the club after 17 years. Flournoy would join the Toronto Raptors, the then-defending NBA champions, as an assistant coach, reuniting with his friend and mentor Nick Nurse, who gave him his first professional contract with the Birmingham Bullets in 1996. Assistant coach Ian MacLeod was announced as his interim replacement as head coach.^[5]

Home venues

• 1976-1978 - Northumbria Centre, Washington
• 1978-1991 - Crowtree Leisure Centre, Sunderland
• 1991-1995 - Northumbria Centre, Washington
• 1995-2010 - Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne
• 2010-2018 - Sport Central, Newcastle upon Tyne
• 2019-present - Vertu Motors Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne

Season-by-season records

Seasons 1976-1996

Season	Division	Tier	Regular Season						Post-Season	Trophy	Cup	Head coach
			Finish	Played	Wins	Losses	Points	Win %
EPAB Sunderland
1976–1977	NBL2	II	4th	20	13	7	26	0.650	N/A	N/A	(NC)
1977–1978	NBL2	II	1st	20	20	0	40	1.000	N/A	N/A	(NC)
Sunderland Sunblest
1978–1979	NBL	I	7th	20	7	13	14	0.350	Did not qualify	N/A	(NC)
1979–1980	NBL	I	6th	18	9	9	18	0.500	Did not qualify	N/A	(NC)
Sunderland Saints
1980–1981	NBL	I	4th	18	11	7	22	0.611	Winners, beating Crystal Palace, 96-92	N/A	Semi-final (NC)
1981–1982	NBL	I	3rd	22	16	6	32	0.727	Runners-up, losing to Crystal Palace, 86-111	N/A	Quarter-final (NC)
Sunderland Saints/Maestros
1982–1983	NBL	I	2nd	24	18	6	36	0.750	Winners, beating Crystal Palace, 75-74	N/A	Quarter-final (NC)
Austin Rover Sunderland
1983–1984	NBL	I	5th	36	23	13	46	0.638	Did not qualify	N/A	Semi-final (NC)
Sunderland Maestros
1984–1985	NBL	I	9th	26	12	14	24	0.461	Did not qualify	N/A	1st round (NC)
Sunderland
1985–1986	NBL	I	13th	28	8	20	16	0.285	Did not qualify	N/A	Quarter-final (NC)
Sunderland 76ers
1986–1987	NBL	I	10th	24	7	17	14	0.291	Did not qualify	N/A	2nd round (NC)
1987–1988	BBL	I	12th	28	8	20	16	0.286	Did not qualify	1st round (LT)	Quarter-final (NC)	Dave Elderkin
1988–1989	BBL	I	6th	20	12	8	24	0.600	Quarter-final	1st round (LT)	1st round (NC)	Craig Lynch
1989–1990	BBL	I	3rd	28	20	8	40	0.714	Runner-up, losing to Kingston, 82-87	Semi-final (LT)	Runner-up (NC)	Craig Lynch
Sunderland Saints
1990–1991	BBL	I	2nd	24	18	6	36	0.750	Runner-Up	1st round (LT)	Winners, beating Leicester, 88–81	Craig Lynch Dave Elderkin
1991–1992	BBL	I	10th	30	3	27	6	0.100	Did not qualify	1st round (LT)	3rd round (NC)	Dave Elderkin
1992–1993	BBL	I	11th	33	6	27	12	0.181	Did not qualify	1st round (LT)	3rd round (NC)	Dave Elderkin
Sunderland Scorpions
1993–1994	BBL	I	10th	36	13	23	26	0.361	Did not qualify	1st round (LT)	Quarter-final (NC)	Dave Elderkin
1994–1995	BBL	I	13th	36	4	32	8	0.111	Did not qualify	1st round (LT)	4th round (NC)	Dave Elderkin
Newcastle Comets
1995–1996	BBL	I	10th	36	11	25	22	0.440	Did not qualify	Quarter-final (LT)	4th round (NC)	Tom Hancock

Season	Division	Tier	Regular Season						Post-Season	Trophy	Cup	Head coach
			Finish	Played	Wins	Losses	Points	Win %
Newcastle Eagles
1996–97	BBL	I	7th	36	21	15	42	0.583	Quarter-final	1st round (LT)	Semi-final (NC)	Tom Hancock
1997–98	BBL	I	3rd	36	25	11	50	0.694	Quarter-final	Semi-final (LT)	4th round (NC)	Craig Lynch
1998–99	BBL	I	5th	36	21	15	42	0.583	Quarter-final	Quarter-final (LT)	Semi-final (NC)	Craig Lynch
1999–00	BBL N	I	6th	36	10	26	20	0.277	Did not qualify	Quarter-final (LT)	1st round (NC)	Craig Lynch
2000–01	BBL N	I	3rd	36	20	16	40	0.555	1st round	Runner-up (LT)	Quarter-final (NC)	Tony Garbelotto
2001–02	BBL N	I	3rd	32	17	15	34	0.531	Quarter-final	Quarter-final (BT)	Quarter-final (NC)	Tony Garbelotto
2002–03	BBL	I	5th	40	25	15	50	0.625	Semi-final	Semi-final (BT)	Quarter-final (NC)	Fab Flournoy
2003–04	BBL	I	6th	36	18	18	36	0.500	Quarter-final	1st round (BT)	Quarter-final (BC)	Fab Flournoy
2004–05	BBL	I	2nd	40	31	9	62	0.775	Winners, beating Chester, 78–75	Winners, beating Brighton, 85–60	Quarter-final (BC)	Fab Flournoy
2005–06	BBL	I	1st	40	30	10	60	0.750	Winners, beating Scottish, 83–68	Winners, beating Leicester, 71–50	Winners, beating London, 83–69	Fab Flournoy
2006–07	BBL	I	3rd	36	25	11	50	0.694	Winners, beating Scottish, 95–82	Runner-up (BT)	Semi-final (BC)	Fab Flournoy
2007–08	BBL	I	1st	33	29	4	58	0.878	Semi-final	Runner-up (BT)	Runner-up (BC)	Fab Flournoy
2008–09	BBL	I	1st	33	28	5	56	0.848	Winners, beating Everton, 87–84	Winners, beating Guildford, 83–71	Semi-final (BC)	Fab Flournoy
2009–10	BBL	I	1st	36	31	5	62	0.861	Semi-final	Winners, beating Cheshire, 115–95	Quarter-final (BC)	Fab Flournoy
2010–11	BBL	I	2nd	33	24	9	48	0.727	Semi-final	Semi-final (BT)	Semi-final (BC)	Fab Flournoy
2011–12	BBL	I	1st	30	23	7	46	0.733	Winners, beating Leicester, 71–62	Winners, beating Plymouth, 184–177 agg.	Winners, beating Plymouth, 115–94	Fab Flournoy
2012–13	BBL	I	2nd	33	25	8	50	0.758	Runners-up	Quarter-final (BT)	Runner-up (BC)	Fab Flournoy
2013–14	BBL	I	1st	33	28	5	56	0.848	Runners-up	Quarter-final (BT)	Runners-up (BC)	Fab Flournoy
2014–15	BBL	I	1st	36	31	5	62	0.861	Winners, beating London, 96–84	Winners, beating Leicester, 96–90	Winners, beating Glasgow, 84–71	Fab Flournoy
2015–16	BBL	I	2nd	33	28	5	56	0.848	Quarter-final	Runners-up (BT)	Winners, beating Leicester, 94–82	Fab Flournoy
2016–17	BBL	I	2nd	33	23	10	46	0.697	Runners Up	Quarter-final (BT)	Winners, beating Glasgow, 91–83	Fab Flournoy
2017–18	BBL	I	3rd	33	22	11	44	0.667	Quarter-final	Quarter-final (BT)	Quarter-final (BC)	Fab Flournoy
2018–19	BBL	I	3rd	33	21	12	42	0.636	Quarter-final	Quarter-final (BT)	Semi-final (BC)	Fab Flournoy
2019–20	BBL	I	Regular Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic							Winners, beating Solent, 96–94 OT	Quarter-final (BC)	Ian MacLeod
2020–21	BBL	I	4th	30	18	12	36	0.600	Winners, beating London, 68–66	Quarter-final (BT)	Winners, beating London, 84-77	Ian MacLeod
2021–22	BBL	I	9th	27	10	17	20	0.370	Did not qualify	1st round (BT)	Group stage (BC)	Ian MacLeod
2022–23	BBL	1	8th	36	11	25	22	0.305	Quarter-final	1st round (BT)	Quarter-final (BC)	Marc Steutel
2023–24	BBL	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	Marc Steutel

Club records

Accurate as of 7 October 2014 (Includes BBL Championship games only)

• 3 pts scored – Russ Saunders 716
• Assists – Fabulous Flournoy – 1,528
• Blocked shots – Fabulous Flournoy – 320
• Defensive rebounds – Fabulous Flournoy – 1,497
• Field Goals scored – Charles Smith – 1,621
• Free Throws scored – Charles Smith – 761
• Games Played – Fabulous Flournoy – 393
• Offensive Rebounds – Darius Defoe – 894
• Personal Fouls – Fabulous Flournoy – 1,075
• Points – Charles Smith – 5,897
• Steals – Fabulous Flournoy – 605
• Total Rebounds – Fabulous Flournoy – 2,139
• Turnovers – Fabulous Flournoy – 910

Trophies

League

• BBL Regular Season Winners: 2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2014–15 7
• BBL Regular Season Runners Up: 1990–91, 2004–05, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2015–16, 2016–17 6
• WBBL Championship Runners Up: 2015–2016,

Playoffs

• BBL Championship Play Off Winners: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2020–21 7
• BBL Championship Play Off Runners Up: 1989–90, 1990–91, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2016–17 5
• WBBL Championship Play Off Winners: 2015–2016,

Trophy

• BBL Trophy Winners: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2019-20 7
• BBL Trophy Runners Up: 2000–01, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2015–16 4

Cup

• BBL Cup Winners: 2005–06, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2020–21 6
• BBL Cup Runners Up: 2007–08, 2012–13, 2013–14 3
• English National Cup Winners: 1990–91 1
• English National Cup Runners Up: 1989–90 1

Players

Men's team roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

Newcastle Eagles roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. G 0   McGill, Rickey 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) G 1   Austin Jr, Larry 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) G/F 2   Ward-Hibbert, Joshua 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) G 3   Mamuini, Samuel 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) F 6   Kandé, Sauveur 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) G 8   Riley, Theo 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) G/F 9   Whitfield, Devin 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) G 11   Johnson, Jordan 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) C 13   Defoe, Darius (C) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) F/C 22   Delpeche, Malcolm 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) G/F 23   Spencer, Scott 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) F 55   Green, Tajh 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) C 88   Neighbour, Will 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	Head coach   Marc Steutel Assistant coach(es)   Gary Stronarch Legend (C) Team captain   Injured Roster Updated: 3 September 2023

Women's team roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

Newcastle Eagles roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. G 1   Daugherty, Cherita 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) G 2   Birkett, Sarah 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) F 3   Gaynor, Chloe 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) G 4   Willis, Zoe 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) F 5   Fernandez-Pardo, Marina (C) 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) G 7   MacKenzie, Alice 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) G 9   Lowe, Abby 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) G 10   Saiki, Lauren 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) G 11   Campbell, Alex 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) C 13   Rodriguez-Perez, Deborah 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) G/F 15   Hodges, Tierra 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) G 22   Adeogun, Princess 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) C 32   Nolan, Katie 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) G 33   Clasen, Courtney 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	Head coach   Matt Newby Legend (C) Team captain   Injured Roster Updated: 02 December 2023

Notable former players

To appear in this section a player must have either:

– Set a club record or won an individual award as a professional player.
– Played at least one official international match for his senior national team at any time.

•  -  Tosan Evbuomwan
•  -  Olu Babalola
•  -  Stedroy Baker
•  -  Flinder Boyd
•  -  Tony Dorsey
•  -  Perry Lawson
•  -  Richard Midgley
•  -  Peter Scantlebury
•  -  Tom Sherlock
•  -  Andrew Sullivan
•  -  Andrew Thomson
•  -  Stuart Thomson
•  -  Steve Leven
•  -  Eddie Matthew
•   Nigel Lloyd
•   Zarko Jukić
•   Pétur Guðmundsson
•   Andre Jones
•   Shawn Myers
•   Jeremy Hyatt
•   Scott Martin
•   Trey Moore
•   Dwayne Morton
•   Kadiri Richard
•   Charles Smith
•   Lynard Stewart
•   TJ Walker
•  -  Ian Whyte

Head coach

Stats correct up to and including 1 April 2023

Name	From	To	Regular season		Play-offs			Cup			Trophy		Total		Win %		Notes
			W	L	W	L	D	W	L	D	W	L	W	L	%
Dave Elderkin	1987	1988	8	20	0	0	0	1	1	–	3	3	12	24	33.33%
Craig Lynch	1988	1990	32	16	1	3	0	1	2	–	6	12	40	33	51.94%
Dave Elderkin	1991	1995	26	109	0	0	0	1	4	–	3	9	30	122	19.74%
Tom Hancock	1995	1997	32	40	1	2	0	3	2	–	2	7	38	51	42.70%
Craig Lynch	1997	2000	56	52	2	4	0	2	3	–	11	10	71	69	50.71%
Tony Garbelotto	2000	2002	37	31	1	2	0	2	2	–	10	5	50	40	55.55%
Fabulous Flournoy	2002	2019	417	137	38	15	0	32	13	1	58	16	545	181	76.60%
Ian MacLeod	2019	2022	35	35	3	1	1	14	13	–	5	3	57	52	52.29%
Marc Steutel	2022	-	7	22	0	0	0	1	1	–	0	1	8	24	25.00%

Retired numbers

• 5 TJ Walker, Guard, 2000–2007
• 10 Charles Smith, Forward, 2000–2016

Hall of Fame

• TJ Walker 2000–2007
• Lynard Stewart 2007–2010

Staff

• Chief Executive Officer - Sam Blake
• Managing Director - Paul Blake
• Chief Operating Officer - Susan Hunter
• Head coach – Marc Steutel
• Assistant coach – Gary Stronach
• Team Manager – Eric Wilson
• Club Doctor - Dr Graeme Wilkes
• Physiotherapist - Vicky Percy
• Sports Therapist - Katie Stienlet
• Strength & Conditioning Coach - Anthony Reed
• Development Manager - Ian MacLeod
• Sales & Communications Manager - Dan Black
• Business Strategy Consultant - David Broom
• Media Manager - Simon Rushworth
• Press Officer - Jeff King
• Digital Team - Dave Moore, Gary Forster, Abbie Orwin, Reece Alderson, Stu Dryburgh & Logan Forster
• Public Announcer - Howard Leighton
• Events & F&B Manager - Rachel Sweeney
• Arena Operations Supervisors - Neil Curry, Gerda Morkunaite & Kyle Stewart
• Primary Participation Specialist - Anthony Forrester
• Secondary Participation Specialist - Graham Heath
• Development Specialist - Chris Applewhite
• League Specialist - Martin Walton
• Officials Specialist - Matty Langley
• Administration Officers - Taylor Rendles & Laura Ridley
• Receptionists - Kelly Sibblies, Katie Tolic & Liam Bateman
• Arena Assistants - Les Harris & Leroy Sibblines
• Cleaning Technician - Dot Stubley
• Academy coach - Calvin George
• Academy coach - Chloe Gaynor
• Academy coach - Ellen Totten
• Academy coach - Marina Fernandez
• Community Coach - Joan Ducasin
• Community Coach - Adam Hall
• Community Coach - Frank Thomas
• Community Coach - Max Flint
• Community Coach - Carl Thompson
• Community Coach - Jacob Jonas
• Community Coach - Kristen Morten
• Community Coach - Mark Sowerby
• Community Coach - Jack Bertram
• Community Coach - Zak Whitlam
• Community Coach - Laura Ridley
• Community Coach - Mark Sowerby
• Community Coach - Zoe Willis

References

1. "Basketball's Newcastle Eagles to play in front of capacity crowd at Eagles Community Arena". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
2. "Sunderland basketball stars reflect on glorious team". Jake Harrison. 8 September 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
3. "Sky's the limit for Newcastle Eagles". Bdaily Business Network Northeast. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
4. "Eagles Community Arena". Newcastle Eagles. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
5. "Flournoy Realises NBA Dream". Newcastle Eagles. Retrieved 7 September 2019.

External links

• Official Newcastle Eagles website
• Newcastle Eagles news from ChronicleLive