Newcastle Eagles will be without key man Seneca Knight at fierce rivals Sheffield Sharks this afternoon as the club anxiously awaits news yet another injury setback.
The US star missed Friday night’s humbling at the hands of a fresh and focused Manchester Basketball as the men in black slipped to an eighth loss in nine league games.
And with Knight wearing a protective boot on his right leg there are already fears that the dynamic guard could miss the remainder of the regular season run-in.
“Seneca picked up an injury during last Wednesday’s final and it got worse during the next 48 hours,” explained head coach Marc Steutel.
“We’re waiting for him to be properly assessed but we don’t know what the extent of the problem is yet.”
Knight was a big miss against free-scoring Manchester as Herman Mandole’s side cruised to an emphatic 100-69 win at the Vertu Motors Arena.
But in truth it’s unlikely the Newcastle rookie could have turned a tough game in the hosts’ favour with a fatigued Eagles roster unable to step out of first gear.
Back-to-back European North Basketball League (ENBL) clashes in Slovakia had clearly taken their toll on a team already missing long-term absentee Malcolm Delpeche.
And a fourth game in six days will test Newcastle’s mental and physical fitness to the limit as a brutal schedule only gets tougher.
“We sneaked a game at Sheffield in the Trophy earlier this season but they were the better team at their place at the end of last month,” said Steutel.
“Plus, they’ll probably want to right their loss down at Bristol while we were away in Europe.
“There’s a lot of stuff happening in the league right now. So for me it’s about trying to get through these next two weeks in the best possible position that we can.
“We need to make sure that we’re as healthy and as fresh as we can be for postseason basketball.
“Of course we’ve got to get some wins in these next two weeks. We’re very aware of where we are and we’re aware of what everyone else is doing around us in the table.
“It’s tough but we want to give ourselves the best chance of progressing in the playoffs.”
Not so long ago Manchester were struggling near the foot of the Super League Basketball (SLB) table and Newcastle were on track to push for a top two finish.
Fast forward to April and the two teams have swapped places with Mandole’s men sitting in fourth place and Steutel’s side clinging on to sixth.
A horribly one-sided clash on Tyneside saw the visitors cruise to victory by claiming every quarter with room to spare.
But Steutel defended his ENBL runners-up after a third game in four days proved to be 40 minutes too far for the 2025 SLB Trophy winners.
“This is the toughest challenge I’ve faced as a coach and I’ve faced a lot of challenges,” said the Eagles’ playcaller.
“We left Slovakia at 4am on Thursday morning and by 7.30pm on Friday we’re tipping off against Manchester.
“With that in mind I’ll defend my team to the hilt and go on record to say how proud I am of those guys. If anyone has anything to say about the loss against Manchester then direct it straight at me.
“We competed in back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday against top European opposition and faced a level of intensity we’ve not experienced all season.
“That’s the reality of the situation. I don’t want to take anything away from Manchester because they did a really good job and credit to them for getting the win.
“But Friday was one of the most difficult situations I’ve ever had to manage.
“The scoreboard wasn’t flattering but at least we turned up.
“The guys had nothing in the tank before the game and finished it with even less energy.
“We just have to make the most of Saturday’s recovery day and find some way to turn up fresher against Sheffield.”
The Sharks still have an outside chance of lifting the SLB Championship title but Atiba Lyons’ men are already guaranteed a top four finish.
Ex-Eagles Rickey McGill and Rodney Glasgow Jr lie in wait for their former club from 4pm hoping to match last month’s 80-73 win at the Park Community Arena.
And Newcastle can expect no mercy from a Sheffield side no doubt eager to capitalise on the Tynesiders’ lack of rest at the end of an exhausting week.
