Trey Pulliam insists he boasts the tools to unlock the abundant offensive talent within Newcastle Eagles’ roster after teasing his own stellar skillset during a nerveless debut against London Lions.

The point guard converted a first week of practice into 30 minutes of composed Super League Basketball as the hosts closed out an impressive 74-67 win against the joint league leaders.

And Pulliam heads into the pressure cooker atmosphere of the Sunday afternoon clash at top four rivals Cheshire determined to build on a near perfect start to his Newcastle career.

“I look at the guys on this team and they couldn’t make it any easier for me to make my mark,” said the assured Texan.

“There so much offensive talent out there that I just have to do my best to organise things and get them the ball in a position where they can put it in the basket.

“We’ve got a lot of scorers. We got Mike [Okauru], Seneca [Knight], De’Sean [Allen-Eikens], Chris [James] who can all score in batches.

“I need to make sure I’m in the right place at the right time to help them get their shots off.

“Against Lions I was just looking for Mike and Seneca, giving them the ball and getting out of the way so that those guys can do their thing.”

Pulliam might have been signed by head coach Marc Steutel to be the provider on a team that’s been searching for a proven playmaker all season.

But the former San Diego Aztecs star is no slouch as a scorer — 14 points on debut against one of the league’s toughest defences gave homecourt fans a glimpse of the future.

Pulliam’s six from six from the free throw line — including some clutch shooting from the bonus stripe down the stretch — delighted the Vertu Motors Arena faithful.

And he added: “I just tried to come in and play with confidence. All the guys on the team have been instilling confidence in me too.

“They’ve been making me feel comfortable and helping me to fit in, in the best way possible.

“I’ve had an opportunity to run some plays and see how the guys work so I just want to get better from here.”

Newcastle trailed London at the break on Friday night before MVP Knight exploded — nailing a game-high 22 points, including five from six from three-point range.

The Eagles converted 10 of 20 from downtown and missed just one of their 15 free throws to throw the title race wide open.

And Pulliam has no qualms about playing a second game inside 48 hours as he looks to get up to speed with the SLB.

“I just love playing,” he added. “I came from a league where it’s only one game a week and then, when there’s international breaks, I could be sitting out for two weeks at a time.

“I take care of my body so I’m ready for more games. Right now, I’d rather be putting in the minutes on court than in practice, so a double header weekend’s a good thing for me.”

Steutel was delighted with the offensive threat and defensive tenacity that underpinned a deserved win against London.

But the Great Britain playcaller knows Newcastle need to halt a skid of three successive league losses on the road if the Eagles are to stay in the title race.

And this clash represents another tough examination of the Tynesiders’ top four credentials with the homecourt Phoenix boasting an identical 6-5 league record.

“Cheshire is a difficult place to play,” admitted Steutel. “You know, someone like Trey, who hasn’t seen them yet, is going to have to find a way to understand the Nix because their style is very different.

“But our win against London put Lions at four losses and we’re on five. It’s further evidence that anybody can beat anybody in this league and we know that’s the case.

“Of course, our form on the road has to improve fast if we’re going to move up the table and we have to be more consistent away from home.

“Cheshire is a big challenge but it’s a challenge we relish.”

The game at Phoenix is free to watch live on DAZN.