As the dust settles on their clean sweep of trophies in 2012, Newcastle player-coach Fab Flournoy says they won’t tire of winning silverware.
The Eagles will be the team to beat when the BBL season resumes in September, having picked up the Championship, Cup, Trophy and play-off titles, culminating in that final victory over Leicester in Birmingham at the start of May.
The basketball world’s attention will no doubt turn to this summer’s Olympics in London, but the likes of Flournoy will be working hard in the background to ensure the development and progress of their clubs and the sport ahead of the 2012/13 season.
He said: “I want to continue to build the club up, continue working on the grassroots and continue to develop the sport.
“I want to make sure that our players continue to compete at the top level.
“I said in the locker room after the final, how do you get tired of winning? How do you get tired of bringing out the best in yourself? Because when you bring out the best in yourself, you bring out the best in others.”
Flournoy built his trophy-winning side around the likes of long-serving players Darius Defoe and Charles Smith, but also highlighted the impact new boys Andy Thomson and Paul Gause had in their success.
He added: “When you bring back guys that have been with you and know the system, I always feel that you have to inject the team with new blood to keep everyone on their toes and another dimension.
“When we signed Andy Thomson, I knew we were on to something special because Andy has played like he has been with us for three or four years. He plays with such a calmness and agility that he was just a perfect match for us.
“Watching Gause play was like a blur because he brought so much speed and athleticism to the team that it really completed us as a unit. With the addition of Gause and Thomson we knew we were going to be challenging everyone.
“We had the experience of the older guys, we had the fresh blood and the explosiveness of Gause to complete the package.”
It’s not just basketball that’s on Flournoy’s mind this summer – he’ll be taking part in the Newcastle Eagles Golf Day at Linden Hall on Friday 13th July, to raise funds for the Newcastle Eagles Community Foundation.
