Newcastle Eagles - Team Preview

Newcastle Eagles

Point Guard: It's an interesting situation at the point for the Eagles. The Tyneside outfit has two stellar permit guards this year in Joe Chapman, last years leading scorer, and former BBL MVP Trey Moore, who has returned to the Eagles for a second stint. Neither of them, however, are particularly adept at running the point.
However, it is most likely that the savvy Moore will take the role, so until I find out different we will say that Moore will play the majority of the minutes here.

I remember Moore as a skilled scorer and a committed defender, but being disappointed by his occasional lack of sportmanship; you could argue this as simply a will and desire to win, and he does win often. Moore prooved his is still an excellent player last season, leading the Everton Tigers with over 20 ppg, and coming up big in the Tigers thrilling BBL Playoff Final win were he dropped a game-high 22.

Moore isn't a natural point, though and this could prove to be a weakness against the very good teams. On the bench, however, there is Barbadian national point guard Andre Lockhart. There is a great history of Barbadian players in the BBL, including Brighton Bears and Milton Keynes legend Andrew Alleyne, and if Lockhart can prove to be as useful he is a brilliant addition. For the moment, I believe the Eagles are too deep to start Lockhart, but he could turn into a brilliant pick-up for the future.

Young English prospect Aaron Neilson will probably get some time here too. He has never disgraced himself in an Eagles uniform, and continues to be a smart, hard working understudy. Eagles player-coach Fab Flournoy often gives himself minutes at the point too, so the Eagles have a variety of options.

Grade: B+

Shooting Guard: To say that the Eagles are stacked at the shooting guard is a bit of an understatement. Even if you take one of Moore or Chapman out of the equation because the majority of their minutes will be at the point, you still have one of the absolute best 2-guards in the league, backed up by Andrew Bridge, one of the best British players in the BBL.

The 6'5'' Bridge averaged a fraction under 10 points per game along with 4.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists; good numbers on a deep BBL championship winning team. Bridge has been with the Eagles since 2002 and has always been a reliable and sensible performer, doing what's best for the team. Bridge is still likely to play big minutes due to coach Flournoy's wing-oreintated game style.

The star at the shooting guard, however, is going to be Joe Chapman. Chapman was the standout player in last year's brilliant season and can light up the scoreboard. He is a genuine star in this league, although the acquisition of Moore could make him have to work harder to be the primary point of the Eagle's offence.

Coach Fab Flournoy's natural position these days is probably the 2-guard. Fab still has a lot to offer this team on the court with his tireless, never-say-die-defence and officient offence. He will get some time here.

Grade: A

Small Forward: We can assume that a lot of the time between the three smallers positions will be split between Moore, Chapman, Bridge, Lockhart and Flournoy. But there is another player certain to play big minutes once again on the Eagles wing. 6'6'' naturalised American Charles Smith is BBL veteran and at this point, practically part of the Eagles furniture. Smith is a great shooter, averaging nearly 50% from the floor, and 40% from downtown, and was Eagles second highest averaging scorer last season, contributing over 17 ppg. Smith is getting older, but doesn't yet show signs of slowing down; he is still more than capable of getting the job done.

So with Chapman, Moore and Flournoy all likely to recieve minutes backing up this position. There might not be an awful lot of time left for young combo-forward protege Jamie Glen. The 6'7'' product of the highly succesful Manchester Magic junior programme has proven himself at times last season, and can be a decent player for the Eagles.

Grade: B+

Power Forward: Darius Defoe is listed at 6'9'' in most BBL/Eagles publications, and this is a little optimistic, he is certainly closer to 6'7''. Nevertheless he is an excellent British player, averaging 10 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last year. With bigger minutes Defoe could be a genuine inside force, but this is not really Fab's style of player, and for the forseeable future at the Eagles, Defoe will have to live producing on limited minutes.

If Flournoy will put his faith in his younger players (something he has been critisized in the past for not doing) Jamie Glen might see some time here backing up Defoe. It's more likely, however, that we will see 4 wing players and a big for the majority of the Eagles minutes with Smith and Bridge filling in as the height.

Grade: B-

Centre: A former Worthing Thunder player sits at the centre position for the Eagles. Kadiri Richard is nothing if not a defensive beast. He led the league in blocks last season, averaging 2.3 blocks per game, and was a force on the glass, pulling down 8.5 boards each outing. However, Richard is not a great scorer, averaging a modest 9.5 points in big minutes as Thunder's primary inside threat. He gets most of his points from put-backs and lay ups, and lacks the post-game you would want from a traditional centre.

This isn't too much of a problem; Eagles have plenty of firepower elsewhere and will not go wanting for points on Richard's account. The problem is that Richard has replaced Lynard Stewart, a beloved Eagles big-man who has been a massive part of the team for so long. This line up will not be the same without Stewart, and whilst I am a big fan of Kadiri for his heart and dedication to defence, I don't know if he is the ideal replacement.

Aside from Defoe, there is exactly zero depth here, but due to the Eagles style this shouldn't be a problem.

Grade: B-

Key Additions: The return of Trey Moore is massive for the Tynesiders, he and Chapman will combine to be one of the most devastating back-courts in the league.

Key Losses: With the aforementioned Stewart gone, I feel the Eagles made a big mistake in not putting their full effort into re-signing GB big-man Andrew Sullivan. The Eagles are much weaker in the front court this season.

Full Roster:

Andrew Bridge 6'5'' SG/SF
Joe Chapman 6'4'' SG
Darius Defoe 6'9'' PF/C
Fab Flournoy 6'4'' SG/SF/PG
Jamie Glen 6'7'' SF/PF
Andre Lockhart 6'1'' PG
Trey Moore 6'4'' SG/PG
Aaron Neilson 6'0'' PG
Kadiri Richard 6'8'' C
Charles Smith 6'6'' SF