Newcastle Eagles

Last updated

Newcastle Eagles
Newcastle Eagles logo.svg
Leagues SLB (Men)
SLB (Women)
ENBL
EstablishedMen: 1976
Women: 2018
HistoryEPAB 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
Capacity2,800
Location Newcastle upon Tyne
Team coloursBlack, gold, white
Main sponsorMen: Newcastle College University Centre
Women: Newcastle International Airport
Head coachMen: Marc Steutel
Women: Chloe Gaynor
Ownership Paul Blake, Ken Nottage
2023-24 positionBBL: 6th
WBBL: 7th
ENBL: Quarter-final
ChampionshipsMen:
7 BBL Championship
7 BBL Playoffs
6 BBL Cup
7 BBL Trophy
1 English National Cup
2 NBL Playoffs
Website newcastle-eagles.com

The Newcastle Eagles are a professional basketball club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. They play in Super League Basketball, the top-tier professional basketball league in Britain for men and women, and the European North Basketball League. They are the most successful club in the history of British men's professional basketball, with 27 British professional titles and 3 English titles as of 2024.

Contents

The team was originally founded as EPAB Sunderland, based at the Northumbria Centre in Washington, and began competing in the Second Division of the English National Basketball League in 1976. In 1987, Sunderland became a founding member of the breakaway British Basketball League with other top-flight English and Scottish clubs. They remained in Sunderland until 1995, when they moved to Newcastle and renamed to the Newcastle Comets, before becoming the Eagles in 1996. Their first Newcastle home was the Newcastle Arena, followed by Northumbria University's Sport Central in 2010. The Eagles moved into their own purpose-built arena, the Eagles Community Arena (known as the Vertu Motors Arena for sponsorship purposes), in January 2019 when they hosted the Plymouth Raiders. [1] Their traditional arch rivals are the Caledonia Gladiators, however in recent years a fierce rivalry with the Leicester Riders has also developed.

Team 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. Rahmon Fletcher.jpg
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, Cup and 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 joined 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] In a season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, MacLeod was able to lead the Eagles to the 2020 BBL Trophy title, defeating NBL side Solent Kestrels, which had made an historic run as an invited team from the English NBL by beating established BBL clubs London Lions and Bristol Flyers, as well as fellow NBL side Worthing Thunder.

In the following 2020-21 season, further success followed as the club defeated London in two tense finals to capture the BBL Cup [6] and Playoffs [7] titles, recording their 6th and 7th titles in those competitions respectively, the most for any BBL club. The following season, however, saw the Eagles slump to 9th in the regular season and miss out on postseason basketball for the first time since 2000.

The 2022-23 season saw Great Britain coach Marc Steutel replace MacLeod as head coach. [8] The team continued to struggle in all competitions, but returned to the Playoffs. Results improved in the following 2023-24 season, as the team recorded a 6th place finish in the league and advanced to the semi-finals in the Playoffs, where they lost to a dominant London Lions side which included former NBA players Sam Dekker [9] and David Nwaba. [10] Newcastle also made their first foray into European basketball since the club moved to the city, entering the European North Basketball League for the first time. [11] A strong debut campaign followed, as the Eagles finished 3rd in their group and advanced to the playoffs, where they narrowly lost in a two-legged tie to eventual champions Bakken Bears of Denmark. [12] Eagles guard Rickey McGill was named MVP for the 2023-24 ENBL season. [13]

In the off-season following the 2023-24 BBL season, the league's operating company was stripped of its licence to organise the league by governing body British Basketball due to financial concerns. [14] A consortium of the participating clubs was issued a 3-year interim licence to organise a new league, which was christened Super League Basketball, and replaced the BBL as the premier professional league in Britain. [15]

Women's team history

After the 2017-18 Women's British Basketball League season, Northumbria University decided that they were going to focus on BUCS competitions going forward, which meant that their successful Team Northumbria WBBL team would be shut down. The Newcastle Eagles and the university came to an agreement where the Eagles would take over the Team Northumbria WBBL side and keep a top-flight women's team in the North East. [16] In Newcastle Eagles colours, the women's team have been competitive, reaching the Playoffs final twice and the Cup final once, although a first major trophy as Eagles continues to elude them.

The first Eagles women's head coach was Chris Bunten, who moved across to the Eagles from Team Northumbria after previously leading the university side to the WBBL Playoffs title in 2016. [17] Several players moved across with him, including new captain Giulia Simioni [18] and team regular Rachael Bland. [19] The team's first season in Eagles colours yielded a 7th-place finish in the league and early exits from other competitions. The 2019-20 season, which was cut short due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, saw some improvement, as the Eagles reached the semi-final of the WBBL Cup. In the 2020-21 season, despite another 7th-place finish in the league, the Eagles reached the final of the WBBL Playoff, after defeating the 2nd-placed Leicester Riders 79-73 in the quarter-final [20] and league champions Sevenoaks Suns 79-72 in the semi-final. [21] An historic title for the underdogs was not to be, however, as the Eagles fell 93-71 to London Lions in the final. [22]

Home venues

Domestic record

Men

Seasons 1976–1996 under previous names
SeasonDivisionTierRegular SeasonPost-SeasonTrophyCupHead coach
FinishPlayedWinsLossesPointsWin %
EPAB Sunderland
1976–1977 NBL2 II4th20137260.650N/AN/A(NC)
1977–1978 NBL2 II1st20200401.000N/AN/A(NC)
Sunderland Sunblest
1978–1979 NBL I7th20713140.350Did not qualifyN/A(NC)
1979–1980 NBL I6th1899180.500Did not qualifyN/A(NC)
Sunderland Saints
1980–1981 NBL I4th18117220.611Winners, beating Crystal Palace, 96-92N/ASemi-final (NC)
1981–1982 NBL I3rd22166320.727Runners-up, losing to Crystal Palace, 86-111N/AQuarter-final (NC)
Sunderland Saints/Maestros
1982–1983 NBL I2nd24186360.750Winners, beating Crystal Palace, 75-74N/AQuarter-final (NC)
Austin Rover Sunderland
1983–1984 NBL I5th362313460.638Did not qualifyN/ASemi-final (NC)
Sunderland Maestros
1984–1985 NBL I9th261214240.461Did not qualifyN/A1st round (NC)
Sunderland
1985–1986 NBL I13th28820160.285Did not qualifyN/AQuarter-final (NC)
Sunderland 76ers
1986–1987 NBL I10th24717140.291Did not qualifyN/A2nd round (NC)
1987–1988 BBL I12th28820160.286Did not qualify1st round (LT)Quarter-final (NC)Dave Elderkin
1988–1989 BBL I6th20128240.600Quarter-final1st round (LT)1st round (NC)Craig Lynch
1989–1990 BBL I3rd28208400.714Runners-up, losing to Kingston, 82-87Semi-final (LT)Runners-up (NC)Craig Lynch
Sunderland Saints
1990–1991 BBL I2nd24186360.750Runners-up1st round (LT)Winners, beating Leicester, 88–81Craig Lynch
Dave Elderkin
1991–1992 BBL I10th3032760.100Did not qualify1st round (LT)3rd round (NC)Dave Elderkin
1992–1993 BBL I11th33627120.181Did not qualify1st round (LT)3rd round (NC)Dave Elderkin
Sunderland Scorpions
1993–1994 BBL I10th361323260.361Did not qualify1st round (LT)Quarter-final (NC)Dave Elderkin
1994–1995 BBL I13th3643280.111Did not qualify1st round (LT)4th round (NC)Dave Elderkin
Newcastle Comets
1995–1996 BBL I10th361125220.440Did not qualifyQuarter-final (LT)4th round (NC) Tom Hancock
SeasonDivisionTierRegular SeasonPost-SeasonTrophyCupHead coach
FinishPlayedWinsLossesPointsWin %
Newcastle Eagles
1996–97 BBL I7th362115420.583Quarter-final1st round (LT)Semi-final (NC) Tom Hancock
1997–98 BBL I3rd362511500.694Quarter-finalSemi-final (LT)4th round (NC)Craig Lynch
1998–99 BBL I5th362115420.583Quarter-finalQuarter-final (LT)Semi-final (NC)Craig Lynch
1999–00 BBL N I6th361026200.277Did not qualifyQuarter-final (LT)1st round (NC)Craig Lynch
2000–01 BBL N I3rd362016400.5551st roundRunners-up (LT)Quarter-final (NC) Tony Garbelotto
2001–02 BBL N I3rd321715340.531Quarter-finalQuarter-final (BT)Quarter-final (NC) Tony Garbelotto
2002–03 BBL I5th402515500.625Semi-finalSemi-final (BT)Quarter-final (NC) Fab Flournoy
2003–04 BBL I6th361818360.500Quarter-final1st round (BT)Quarter-final (BC) Fab Flournoy
2004–05 BBL I2nd40319620.775Winners, beating Chester, 78–75Winners, beating Brighton, 85–60Quarter-final (BC) Fab Flournoy
2005–06 BBL I1st403010600.750Winners, beating Scottish, 83–68Winners, beating Leicester, 71–50Winners, beating London, 83–69 Fab Flournoy
2006–07 BBL I3rd362511500.694Winners, beating Scottish, 95–82Runners-up (BT)Semi-final (BC) Fab Flournoy
2007–08 BBL I1st33294580.878Semi-finalRunners-up (BT)Runners-up (BC) Fab Flournoy
2008–09 BBL I1st33285560.848Winners, beating Everton, 87–84Winners, beating Guildford, 83–71Semi-final (BC) Fab Flournoy
2009–10 BBL I1st36315620.861Semi-finalWinners, beating Cheshire, 115–95Quarter-final (BC) Fab Flournoy
2010–11 BBL I2nd33249480.727Semi-finalSemi-final (BT)Semi-final (BC) Fab Flournoy
2011–12 BBL I1st30237460.733Winners, beating Leicester, 71–62Winners, beating Plymouth, 184–177 agg.Winners, beating Plymouth, 115–94 Fab Flournoy
2012–13 BBL I2nd33258500.758Runners-upQuarter-final (BT)Runners-up (BC) Fab Flournoy
2013–14 BBL I1st33285560.848Runners-upQuarter-final (BT)Runners-up (BC) Fab Flournoy
2014–15 BBL I1st36315620.861Winners, beating London, 96–84Winners, beating Leicester, 96–90Winners, beating Glasgow, 84–71 Fab Flournoy
2015–16 BBL I2nd33285560.848Quarter-finalRunners-up (BT)Winners, beating Leicester, 94–82 Fab Flournoy
2016–17 BBL I2nd332310460.697Runners-upQuarter-final (BT)Winners, beating Glasgow, 91–83 Fab Flournoy
2017–18 BBL I3rd332211440.667Quarter-finalQuarter-final (BT)Quarter-final (BC) Fab Flournoy
2018–19 BBL I3rd332112420.636Quarter-finalQuarter-final (BT)Semi-final (BC) Fab Flournoy
2019–20 BBL IRegular season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic-Winners, beating Solent, 96–94 OTQuarter-final (BC)Ian MacLeod
2020–21 BBL I4th301812360.600Winners, beating London, 68–66Quarter-final (BT)Winners, beating London, 84-77Ian MacLeod
2021–22 BBL I9th271017200.370Did not qualify1st round (BT)Group stage (BC)Ian MacLeod
2022–23 BBL I8th361125220.305Quarter-final1st round (BT)Quarter-final (BC)Marc Steutel
2023–24 BBL I6th361818360.500Semi-final1st round (BT)-Marc Steutel
2024–25 SLB I3rd*54180.800TBD*TBD*TBD*Marc Steutel

*- Season in progress

Women

SeasonDivisionTierRegular SeasonPost-SeasonTrophyCupHead coach
FinishPlayedWinsLossesPointsWin %
2018–19 WBBL I7th221012200.455Quarter-finalGroup stageQuarter-finalChris Bunten
2019–20 WBBL IRegular season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic-Group stageSemi-finalChris Bunten
2020–21 WBBL I7th20713140.350Runners-upQuarter-finalGroup stageChris Bunten
2021–22 WBBL I10th24717200.292Did not qualify1st roundRunners-upChris Bunten/Noelia Cacheiro
2022–23 WBBL I8th22913180.409Quarter-finalSemi-final1st roundMatt Newby
2023–24 WBBL I6th20911180.450Runners-up1st round-Matt Newby
2024-25 SLB I5th*32140.667TBD*TBD*-Matt Newby/Chloe Gaynor

*- Season in progress

European record

European North Basketball League

SeasonGroup stagePlayoffs
GroupPositionPlayedWonLostPoints +/-Points
2023–24 A3rd752+3412Quarter-final
2024–25 A2nd*651+3511TBD*

*- Season in progress

Club statistics records

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

Honours

League

Playoffs

Trophy

Cup

Players

Men's team roster

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

Newcastle Eagles roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHt.
G/F 2 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ward-Hibbert, Joshua 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
G 3 Flag of the United States.svg Okauru, Mike 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
G 7 Flag of the United States.svg Knight, Seneca 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
F 9 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Kandé, Sauveur 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
F/C 13 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Defoe, Darius  (C)6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
F 15 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Long, Cole 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
F/C 22 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Delpeche, Malcolm 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
G 23 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Spencer, Jordan 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
G/F 24 Flag of the United States.svg James, Christian 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
F 25 Flag of the United States.svg Allen-Eikens, De'Sean 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
F/C 88 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Neighbour, Will 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured

Updated: 1 December 2024

Women's team roster

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

Newcastle Eagles roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHt.
G 1 Flag of the United States.svg Currence, Kendall 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
G 2 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Birkett, Sarah 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
F 3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Gaynor, Chloe 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
G 4 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Willis, Zoe 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
G 8 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Bland, Rachael 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
G 9 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lowe, Abby 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
G 10 Flag of the United States.svg Saiki, Lauren 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
G 11 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Campbell, Alex 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
G 15 Flag of the United States.svg Hodges, Tierra 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
G 22 Flag of the United States.svg Swann, Lyric 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
G 24 Flag of the United States.svg Guinn, Jada 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
G 25 Flag of Ireland.svg Adeogun, Princess 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
G 33 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Hatch, Shannon 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Head coach

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured

Updated: 1 December 2024

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.

Head coach

Stats correct up to and including 31 May 2024

NameFromToRegular seasonPlay-offsCupTrophyTotalWin %Notes
WLWLDWLDWLWL%
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dave Elderkin198719888200001133122433.33%
Flag of the United States.svg Craig Lynch19881990321613012612403351.94%
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dave Elderkin199119952610900014393012219.74%
Flag of the United States.svg Tom Hancock 1995199732401203227385142.70%
Flag of the United States.svg Craig Lynch199720005652240231110716950.71%
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Tony Garbelotto 20002002373112022105504055.55%
Flag of the United States.svg Fabulous Flournoy 200220194171373815032131581654518176.60%
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ian MacLeod201920223535311141353575252.29%
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Marc Steutel2022-29432401123345140.00%

Retired numbers

Hall of Fame

Staff

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The 2017–18 BBL Trophy was the 30th edition of the BBL Trophy, an annual cup competition for British basketball teams, organised by the British Basketball League (BBL). Besides BBL clubs, clubs from the National Basketball League (NBL) participated. The Leicester Riders won their third trophy title. The competition was played from 8 December 2017 until 4 March 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caledonia Gladiators</span> Scottish professional basketball team

The Caledonia Gladiators are a professional basketball club based in East Kilbride, Scotland. The Gladiators compete as the sole Scottish-based team in the Super League Basketball, the top tier of domestic basketball in the United Kingdom.

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