Home debut special night for Eagles
NEW ARENA OPENS ON FRIDAY
NEWCASTLE Eagles are determined to make a ‘special night’ at the new Eagles Community Arena by beating Plymouth Raiders, Rahmon Fletcher says.
Friday’s game marks the grand opening for the new Scotswood Road facility and the point guard is keen to give fans double cause for celebration.
The Eagles have looked to build their own arena for a number of years, with European competition almost certainly next on the club’s to-do list.
Two-time BBL MVP Fletcher cited the new ‘Eagles Nest’ as a reason for returning to Newcastle after one season with Slovakian outfit KB Kosice.
And while he expects Plymouth to revel in the party-pooping role, the 30-year-old expects the Eagles to start things off in style in their new home.
Fletcher said: “I think we’ve got that group of guys that know we have to take care of business first before we can enjoy the stuff off the court.
“Of course, it’s going to be emotional and Plymouth’s going to try and win not only to revenge themselves for Sunday but to make our opening night not what we expect.”
“If I was in their position, I think I would have that added motivation to play in that type of occasion and be ready if we’re not 100% focused.
“But I think we’re at that time of the season when winning is more important than what’s going on off the court.”
“It’s going to be a special night of course but we’ve got to make sure we get the win so we can enjoy it all the more. I’m really looking forward to it as all the guys are and we want to start off in our new arena in the right way.”
The Eagles smashed City of Edinburgh Kings in the BBL Trophy on their Sport Central farewell and have followed that up with two great road wins against rivals Leicester Riders and the Raiders.
After a rocky spell before Christmas, Newcastle appear to regained their ruthlessness and Fletcher wants the roster to maintain their intensity.
“Our intent is to play our defence which builds our confidence,” he said.
“At the beginning of the season we rarely ran plays and relied on our transition from our defence which is something at the Eagles that we pride ourselves on.”
“We lost that a bit and it affected results. But I think it’s starting to come around and we’re starting to show that intent again in the right way and that means our offence will come.”
He added: “People keep asking me how excited I am for Friday. We’ve practised in the new arena for a couple of weeks now but it still hasn’t hit me just yet.
“Every time we show up for practice there’s always something new to see. Day by day I’m getting more excited but it still hasn’t reached 100% yet but it’s getting there.”