Marc Steutel has seen enough to believe his attacking brand of Newcastle Eagles hoops is in safe hands heading into the inaugural season of Super League Basketball (SLB)

Another busy summer of recruitment has seen the Great Britain playcaller complement a proven core of British players with an exciting crop of US imports.

And just 48 hours before Friday night’s SLB Trophy opener against fierce rivals Sheffield Sharks, Steutel is itching to hear the starting gun.

“I thought pre-season was positive on the whole and we’ve had a chance to build our identity within a few weeks,” he said.

“As a coaching staff we are really explicit when it comes to what that identity is and we’re convinced it can underpin a successful season.

“First and foremost you want to get through pre-season unscathed but we’ve seen a couple of players pick up minor knocks.

“That’s part and parcel of this period of the year.

“On the other side of the coin players have gained vital match fitness with the likes of Jordan Spencer returning to fitness.”

Newcastle’s 2-1 pre-season record hardly set the world alight but aside from one damaging quarter against the Surrey 89ers the Eagles gained vital momentum.

Wins against Newcastle Knights and Bristol Flyers allowed Steutel to bed in his new recruits and identify the rotations that can best hurt the club’s SBL rivals.

“I think what we saw was a really good group of players who’ve already bought into what we’re trying to do this season,” he added.

“Sure we got punched in the face after the first 10 minutes against Surrey but the next seven quarters, across two games, revealed a team prepared to react positively.

“We showed some really encouraging signs but it’s only pre-season.

“There’s a long way to go and nobody should get too carried away by the highs or dwell too much on the lows.”

A new-look Sheffield will provide a stern test for Steutel’s Eagles at what’s expected to be a full house at the Vertu Motors Arena on Friday.

Will Neighbour has recovered from a bout of illness — after missing the Bristol game — to put himself in the mix for the Trophy clash.

And there’s no doubt Newcastle’s experienced returnees will hold the key to any early success and allow the club’s imports to find their feet.

“We’ve got a bunch of guys with bags of top flight British basketball experience and that’s hugely important,” added Steutel, who saw Jordan Johnson, Rickey McGill and Larry Austin Jr all move on in the summer.

“Will, Josh [Ward-Hibbert], Darius [Defoe], Malcolm [Delpeche] and Sauveur [Kande] know their roles and they’ve set the tone from day one.

“We’ve got leaders in that group and they’re working hard to integrate the new guys and help them understand what’s required.

“I’ve really liked the look of Malcolm since we’ve been back. He’s working really hard trying to figure out how he can best fit in with the new guys and he’s taken his form from the end of last season into the summer.

“I like the fact that we have a level of consistency but I’m excited to see what the new guys can bring to the table.”

Newcastle face Sheffield from 7.30pm on Friday with tickets on sale from the box office.