Ahead of Newcastle Eagles’ first pre-season tip-off, the club is delighted to announce the addition of 6’0″ Canadian guard Jalen Shirley to its Super League Basketball (SLB) roster.

Shirley will split his time on Tyneside between the Eagles and its performance pathway partner Newcastle University where he will play in British Championship Basketball (BCB) competition for the Newcastle Knights.

In Shirley’s opening BCB game yesterday, Saturday 5 September, the Canadian started his season strong with 16 points, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 rebounds as the Knights took a 80-70 victory over the Yorkshire Dragons.


Shirley will play for both the Eagles and Newcastle Knights, who started their BCB season with a win yesterday. (This Photo Kieran Zayne, Featured Image: UBCO Heat)

Eagles head coach Marc Steutel said: “Jalen is joining our programme as a player who will prioritise his role with Newcastle Knights BCB team whilst contributing to our squad as he can.

“It’s a really exciting proposition for a skilled dual national British-Canadian player to be able to experience both programmes as we continue to work together to identify and recruit top British talent with a view to exposing them to SLB.

“His impressive college career stood out with his competitiveness, maturity and understanding of the game. He plays with great poise, has the ability to make those around him better and embraces responsibility in big moments. We are excited to welcome him to our Eagles family for the year ahead.”


The playmaker arrives in Newcastle following a standout career at the University of British Colombia Okanagan Heat in Canada, where he established himself as one of the country’s most productive backcourt performers.

The 6’0″ British-Canadian guard had an impressive college career before crossing the pond to Tyneside. (Photo: UBCO Heat)

In college, the Ontario native averaged 20.8 points, 3.8 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game during the 2025-26 campaign, shooting 52.9% from two-point range and 77.9% from the free-throw line. He scored 416 points across 20 appearances, including a season-high 43-point performance.

“I’m grateful to be a part of the Eagles organisation and excited for the opportunity to compete and develop, while continuing to represent the Newcastle Knights and contribute to a successful season”, said Shirley.

Today, Sunday 6 September, the Eagles begin their SLB season build-up with an exhibition game against the Newcastle Basketball Development Combine. The opposition roster brings together the club’s performance pathway partners players from from Newcastle College Eagles Academy’s Elite Academy Basketball League (EABL) team and the British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) sides of Newcastle University and Northumbria University.


Shirley’s head coach at the Knights, Mark Elderkin, added: “We are really happy to have brought Jalen into our BCB programme as the partnership between Newcastle University and Newcastle Eagles continues to grow.

“Having young British talent like Jalen get the opportunity to move through our pathway is very important to us. We are excited to see what Jalen can do this season and I know he is ready to go.”

The Eagles are expected to announce further additions next week following an injury to summer signing Dwayne Cohill.

Tickets this afternoon’s pre-season game, which tips-off at 5pm, as well as the club’s opening SLB games, are available from the box office now.