The second young Eagles to graduate our Under-19 programme is Joshua ‘Josh’ Osarenkhoe. Josh is the eldest of three brothers who are in our performance pathway with Jesse and Joseph hot on his heels!

The Osarenkoe family moved to Newcastle from Milan, Italy in 2018 and Josh has steadily progressed through the ranks from u14s Academy to u19 programme where he played two years of EABL. 

Josh has a unique blend of height (6’7) and shooting ability and is very mush a modern forward with the technical skills to score from the perimeter. A confident and dedicated player Josh has worked his way up the pathway to become a vital part of the u19 in his senior year. 


After graduating the academy in the summer of 2023 Josh took an offer to move back to Italy and play for Novipiù Campus Piemonte in the Italian Seira B. On the experience Josh had to say:

“I’d like to express my gratitude to the coaches at the Eagles and my previous teammates for their support during my five years there. I’ve recently relocated to Italy to play in the Serie B, and it’s been quite an adjustment. This league is packed with seasoned players, many of whom have top-tier European experience. Adapting to the physicality, pace, and level of competition has been a challenge, but those who know me from my time at the Eagles, know that I love challenges. I believe the technical and tactical skills I acquired during my five years with the Academy will be instrumental in enhancing my game here in Italy.”

Josh (Far Left) receiving an award at our 2019 awards evening for most improved player in our U14 Boys team (Photo: Dave Moore, Featured Photo: Gary Forster)

Josh played for a whole host of coaches during his years at the Eagles, a major year of growth for him was the 2021-22 season when he played under Jack Burgess, who is now with ACB side Zaragoza, Coach Burgess has this to say about Josh: “


“Josh was a joy to coach because of his hard work and willingness to learn. He was always looking to improve as a player and made sure to put the work in daily to develop his game. I’m sure that if he continues to have that mentality and drive, he will develop into a great player with a bright future in the game.”

Josh in action (left) in action for his new team in Italy (Photo: Vincenzo Nicolello Photosport)

The under 19 programme has seen a revamp this summer with a newly established Academy programme in partnership with Newcastle College. College students are able to seamlessly fit their training around their Academic studies and are able to get quality off-court support with physio and Strength and Conditioning coaches. Teams will compete in both the College Basketball League (CBL) and Association of Colleges (AoC) leagues, and for the first time we will see a tiered approach to cater for a wide variety of abilities and development stages of players.