Newcastle Eagles
Newcastle Eagles | |||
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Newcastle Eagles logo | |||
League | BBL | ||
Established | 1976 | ||
History | EPAB Washington 1976–1977 Sunderland Sunblest 1977-80 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 | 'Sport Central | ||
Capacity | 3,000 | ||
Location | Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear | ||
Main sponsor | ESH Group, Northumbria University, Northumbrian Water | ||
Head coach | Fab Flournoy | ||
Ownership | Paul Blake | ||
Website | Newcastle-Eagles.com | ||
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Newcastle Eagles, for sponsorship purposes Esh Group Newcastle Eagles, is a British Basketball League team based in Newcastle upon Tyne. Holding the franchise for Tyne & Wear, they are the most successful team in the league's history. Since 2010, the Eagles have played all home games at the 3,000 capacity Sport Central arena at Northumbria University in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.[1] Their traditional arch rivals are the Glasgow Rocks, however in recent years a rivalry with the Leicester Riders has also developed.
Franchise history
Early years and move to Tyneside
The club's roots can be traced back to the founding of EPAB Washington in 1976. The club played in Sunderland 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.[3] 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.[4] 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.
The "Clean sweeps"
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. And their hat-trick of sweeps was completed in 2014–15 with all four major prizes.
Home arenas
- Metro Radio Arena (1995–2010)
- Sport Central (2010–Present)
- Courtside – 54
- East Stand – 368
- West Stand – 793
- South Stand – 835
- North Stand – 835
Season-by-season records
Season | Division | Tier | Regular Season | Post-Season | Trophy | Cup | Head Coach | |||||
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Finish | Played | Wins | Losses | Points | Win % | |||||||
Sunderland 76ers | ||||||||||||
1987–1988 | BBL | I | 12th | 28 | 8 | 20 | 16 | 0.286 | Did Not Qualify | 1st Round (LT) | Quarter-final (NC) | - |
1988–1989 | BBL | I | 6th | 20 | 12 | 8 | 24 | 0.600 | Lost in Quarter-final to Bracknell Tigers, 0–2 (series) | 1st Round (LT) | 1st Round (NC) | - |
1989–1990 | BBL | I | 3rd | 28 | 20 | 8 | 40 | 0.714 | Lost in Final to Kingston, 82–87 | Semi-final (LT) | Runner-up (NC) | - |
Sunderland Saints | ||||||||||||
1990–1991 | BBL | I | 2nd | 24 | 18 | 6 | 36 | 0.750 | Lost in Final to Kingston, 72–94 | 1st Round (LT) | Winners (NC) | - |
1991–1992 | BBL | I | 10th | 30 | 3 | 27 | 6 | 0.100 | Did Not Qualify | 1st Round (LT) | 3rd Round (NC) | David Elderkin |
1992–1993 | BBL | I | 11th | 33 | 6 | 27 | 12 | 0.181 | Did Not Qualify | 1st Round (LT) | 3rd Round (NC) | David Elderkin |
Sunderland Scorpions | ||||||||||||
1993–1994 | BBL | I | 10th | 36 | 13 | 23 | 26 | 0.361 | Did Not Qualify | 1st Round (LT) | Quarter-final (NC) | David Elderkin |
1994–1995 | BBL | I | 13th | 36 | 4 | 32 | 8 | 0.111 | Did Not Qualify | 1st Round (LT) | 4th Round (NC) | David 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 |
Newcastle Eagles | ||||||||||||
1996–1997 | BBL | I | 7th | 36 | 21 | 15 | 42 | 0.583 | Lost in Quarter-final to London Towers, 1–2 (series) | 1st Round (LT) | Semi-final (NC) | Tom Hancock |
1997–1998 | BBL | I | 3rd | 36 | 25 | 11 | 50 | 0.694 | Lost in Quarter-final to London Towers, 1–2 (series) | Semi-final (LT) | 4th Round (NC) | Craig Lynch |
1998–1999 | BBL | I | 5th | 36 | 21 | 15 | 42 | 0.583 | Lost in Quarter-final to London Towers, 1–2 (series) | Quarter-final (LT) | Semi-final (NC) | Craig Lynch |
1999–2000 | BBL N | I | 6th | 36 | 10 | 26 | 20 | 0.277 | Did Not Qualify | Quarter-final (LT) | 1st Round (NC) | Craig Lynch |
2000–2001 | BBL N | I | 3rd | 36 | 20 | 16 | 40 | 0.555 | Lost in 1st Round to Birmingham Bullets, 75–80 | Runner-up (LT) | Quarter-final (NC) | Tony Garbelotto |
2001–2002 | BBL N | I | 3rd | 32 | 17 | 15 | 34 | 0.531 | Lost in Quarter-final to Brighton Bears, 101–102 (OT) | Quarter-final (BT) | Quarter-final (NC) | Tony Garbelotto |
2002–2003 | BBL | I | 5th | 40 | 25 | 15 | 50 | 0.625 | Lost in Semi-final to Brighton Bears, 83–88 | Semi-final (BT) | Quarter-final (NC) | Fab Flournoy |
2003–2004 | BBL | I | 6th | 36 | 18 | 18 | 36 | 0.500 | Lost in Quarter-final to London Towers, 94–96 | 1st Round (BT) | Quarter-final (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2004–2005 | BBL | I | 2nd | 40 | 31 | 9 | 62 | 0.775 | Winners in Final against Chester Jets, 78–75 | Winners (BT) | Quarter-final (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2005–2006 | BBL | I | 1st | 40 | 30 | 10 | 60 | 0.750 | Winners in Final against Scottish Rocks, 83–68 | Winners (BT) | Winners (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2006–2007 | BBL | I | 3rd | 36 | 25 | 11 | 50 | 0.694 | Winners in Final against Scottish Rocks, 95–82 | Runner-up (BT) | Semi-final (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2007–2008 | BBL | I | 1st | 33 | 29 | 4 | 58 | 0.878 | Lost in Semi-final to Milton Keynes Lions, 63–72 | Runner-up (BT) | Runner-up (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2008–2009 | BBL | I | 1st | 33 | 28 | 5 | 56 | 0.848 | Winners in Final against Everton Tigers, 87–84 | Winners (BT) | Semi-final (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2009–2010 | BBL | I | 1st | 36 | 31 | 5 | 62 | 0.861 | Lost in Semi-final to Everton Tigers, 158–190 (agg) | Winners (BT) | Quarter-final (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2010–2011 | BBL | I | 2nd | 33 | 24 | 9 | 48 | 0.727 | Lost in Semi-final to Sheffield Sharks, 154–166 (agg) | Semi-final (BT) | Semi-final (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2011–2012 | BBL | I | 1st | 30 | 23 | 7 | 46 | 0.733 | Winners in Final against Leicester Riders, 71–62 | Winners (BT) | Winners (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2012–2013 | BBL | I | 2nd | 33 | 25 | 8 | 50 | 0.758 | Lost in Final to Leicester Riders, 68–57 | Quarter-final (BT) | Runner-up (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2013–2014 | BBL | I | 1st | 33 | 28 | 5 | 56 | 0.848 | Lost in Final to Worcester Wolves, 78–90 | Quarter-final (BT) | Runner-up (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2014–2015 | BBL | I | 1st | 36 | 31 | 5 | 62 | 0.861 | Winners in Final against London Lions, 96–84 | Winners (BT) | Winners (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2015–2016 | BBL | I | 2nd | 33 | 28 | 5 | 56 | 0.848 | Lost in Quarter-final to Cheshire Phoenix 187-191 on aggregate | Runner-up (BT) | Winners (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2016–2017 | BBL | I | 2nd | 33 | 23 | 10 | 46 | 0.697 | Lost in Final to Leicester Riders, 63–84 | Quarter-final (BT) | Winners (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2017–2018 | BBL | I | 3rd | 33 | 22 | 11 | 44 | 0.667 | Lost in Quarter-final to Bristol Flyers, 163-157 (agg) | Quarter-final (BT) | Quarter-final (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2018–2019 | BBL | I | - | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1.000 | - | - | - | Fab Flournoy |
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 Championship Winners: 2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2014–15 7
- BBL Championship 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 6
- 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 6
- BBL Trophy Runners Up: 2000–01, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2015-16 4
Cup
- BBL Cup Winners: 1990–91, 2005–06, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2015-16, 2016-17 6
- BBL Cup Runners Up: 1989–90, 2007–08, 2012–13, 2013–14 4
Players
Current roster
The following information is established according to the official websites of the team (www.newcastle-eagles.com) and Britain's top professional league, the BBL (www.bbl.org.uk).
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
Newcastle Eagles roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Updated: 5th October 2018 |
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
Newcastle Eagles Women roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
- - 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
- Andre Jones
- Shawn Myers
- Rahmon Fletcher
- Jeremy Hyatt
- Andrew Lasker
- Scott Martin
- Trey Moore
- Dwayne Morton
- Kadiri Richard
- Charles Smith
- Lynard Stewart
- TJ Walker
- - Ian Whyte
Head Coach
- 1991–1995 Dave Elderkin
- 1995–1997 Tom Hancock
- 1997–2000 Craig Lynch
- 2000–2002 Tony Garbelotto
- 2002–present Fabulous Flournoy
Stats correct up to and including 8th August 2017
Name | From | To | Regular Season | Play-offs | Cup | Trophy | Total | Win % | Notes | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | W | L | W | L | D | W | L | W | L | % | |||||
Dave Elderkin | 1991 | 1995 | 26 | 109 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | - | 3 | 9 | 30 | 122 | 19.74% | ||
Tom Hancock | 1995 | 1997 | 32 | 40 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | 2 | 7 | 38 | 51 | 42.70% | ||
Craig Lynch | 1997 | 2000 | 56 | 52 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | - | 11 | 10 | 71 | 69 | 50.71% | ||
Tony Garbelotto | 2000 | 2002 | 37 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | 10 | 5 | 50 | 40 | 55.55% | ||
Fabulous Flournoy | 2002 | present | 395 | 126 | 37 | 14 | 32 | 12 | 1 | 57 | 15 | 521 | 167 | 76.60% |
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
Player/Coach – Fab Flournoy
Assistant Coaches – Billy Spragg, Dave Forrester and Marc Steutel
External links
- Official Newcastle Eagles website
- Newcastle Eagles news from ChronicleLive
References
- ^ "Sport Central is new nest for Newcastle Eagles – Northumbria University, Newcastle UK". Northumbria University. Archived from the original on 14 October 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Sunderland basketball stars reflect on glorious team". Jake Harrison. 2014-09-08. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
- ^ "Sunderland basketball stars reflect on glorious team". Jake Harrison. 2014-09-08. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
- ^ "Sky's the limit for Newcastle Eagles". Bdaily Business Network Northeast. Retrieved 20 March 2011.