Eagles have ability to soar in play-offs

MARC Steutel is adamant Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles have the talent and togetherness ‘to make some noise’ in the British basketball League play-offs.

The sixth-placed Tynesiders take on Caledonia Gladiators in what promises to be a thrilling quarterfinal tie.

And Steutel is excited at the decision to scrap the two-legged knockout format in favour of a return to a three-game postseason series.

“Our goal at the start of the year was to book our place in the playoffs and we’ve achieved that goal,” said the Newcastle playcaller.

“We set out on day one of training camp to put ourselves into this position and, at this point in time, our fate is still in our hands.

“We always wanted to be here and we felt as if we had the talent to get to this point.

“Of course we’re disappointed that we finished the regular season with an 18-18 record – that could have been better.

“But every time you hit a bump in the road it’s an opportunity to recalculate and look at how you reach the next level.

“We’ve learned from those situations all season and we were still learning at the weekend.

“The games against Cheshire and Manchester were another example of how important it is to strive for consistency and maintain our standards for 40 minutes.

“It feels like the last opportunity we’ll have to understand the value of playing the right way and playing the Eagles way.”

Newcastle host the Gladiators before a trip to Glasgow for game two. If a decider is required in the best-of-three series then the two teams will clash again north of the border.

Eagles bosses are expected to confirm dates and tip-off times later today [Monday] and Steutel added: “The three-game series is an exciting development. It’ll add some twists and turns and some great stories for the fans.

“The aggregate scoring system has been there for some time and it can prove to be a real psychological challenge if you’re down in the first leg.

“A best of three is better. And we’ve played a lot of back-to-backs this season so we need to use that experience in our favour if it comes down to it.”