Back to winning games, not the drawing board
NEWCASTLE Eagles are not in crisis as they sit second in the BBL Championship table. But Friday night’s 126–97 savaging by the red-hot Worcester Wolves was not a performance or result you would normally associated with Fab Flournoy’s team.
It was a fourth consecutive away defeat and the Eagles have now not won on the road since the BBL Cup Final back in January.
Add in two home defeats as well during that period and these are worrying times for a franchise for which losing is not a word they normally recognise.
So is it a case of back to the drawing board for the Tyneside outfit?
Probably not, but with the next fixture being a trip to the capital this coming Wednesday to take on the London Lions, there is certainly some soul searching to be done.
The Eagles also have to face league leaders Leicester Riders home and away before the regular season ends. And while Flournoy always adopts a ‘one game at a time’ mentality, it’s difficult to see how his side can knock the Midlands outfit off their lofty perch at this time.
Encouraging for Flournoy and his roster was the return to action on Friday night of veteran centre Darius Defoe who, although still game-rusty after almost two months out, did still manage to play almost 20 minutes, netting 12
points and pulling down eight boards in that time.
His presence on court has been sorely missed. He understands Flournoy’s largely defensive system and is the anchor in the centre that can usually steady the ship. Flournoy will be hoping for more from Defoe going forward a fact the veteran centre recognises.
“It was good to be on court again but the result wasn’t good,” said Defoe.
“I’m happy that I got some good minutes and the hand doesn’t feel too bad. But what doesn’t feel good is what happened in the game.
“We need to get back to doing what we do best and come together again real quick. I was frustrated not playing now I’m frustrated I couldn’t help us get a win on Friday.
“Performances like that are not what the Eagles do. We need to get back to playing defence and taking it from there. It’s the only way we’re going to get back to where we want to be.” With the BBL Championship title virtually out of their grasp it may well be, for once, time to look more than one game ahead and look to the end of season play-offs, but Defoe is adamant that’s not the Eagles way.
“The only way we can get ready for the play-offs is to put things right now,” he added.
“So that does mean taking it game by game, getting confidence back and getting back to playing our way and as a team.
“We can still win the league. It’s going to be hard but if we can beat Leicester and they slip up who knows.
“What we have to do is get back to winning and playing our way and that’s how we need to be right now starting with London on Wednesday.”