Cole Long insists Newcastle Eagles are building the right culture and cultivating the close connections that can fire the men in black towards silverware this season.

After an injury-hit start to his Super League Basketball career, the all-action Canadian has become a firm fixture in Marc Steutel’s starting five,

And after adding four rebounds to his 14 points against top four rivals Leicester Riders on Friday, Long heads south to face Surrey 89ers full of confidence.

“We have a good group of guys here,” said the versatile forward. “We want everyone to do well and everyone supports each other, no matter what.

“We’re focused on the main goal which is winning the next game in front of us, whatever the opposition.

“It’s a good culture that we’re building here and it’s fantastic to be a part of it.”

Mid-table Surrey fell four points short against league leaders London Lions on New Year’s day but a superb performance underlined the 89ers homecourt threat.

Newcastle, meanwhile, are right back in the title mix after defeating Riders 93-90 on the same night second-placed Sheffield slipped up in Manchester.

“It’s important that we’re ready as soon as we step onto court against Surrey,” added Long.

“They’re a team that knows how to score, they score heavily in bunches and they don’t take their foot off the pedal.

“We’ve got to be ready right from the jump and that’s one of the most important things for this Eagles group.

“It’s a long trip after a tough game against Leicester and we’re in the middle of three games in five days.

“But we had a full week of practice heading into the Riders game and that was the first time we’d been able to do that in a couple of months.

“It gave us invaluable time to work on some tactical things and decide what we want to do as a group in the second half of the season.

“I feel as if we’re well prepared for this next little stretch but we know Surrey will be a challenge.”

Newcastle saw off Rob Paternostro’s Riders on the back of an explosive third period at the Vertu Motors Arena to snap a five-game winless streak.

A sensational Seneca Knight double-double of 21 points and 10 assists — the forward fell just three rebounds short of a triple double — paced a hard-fought win.

And the US star was supported by Mike Okauru (22), Josh Ward-Hibbert (14) and Long as the hosts dug deep to reignite their Championship challenge.

Ward-Hibbert and Darius Defoe both fouled out down the stretch but the men in black had done enough, on the back of that 31-16 third quarter, to seal a first win since December 6.

And an Eagles victory against the 89ers would pile the pressure on Sheffield ahead of the Sharks’ top two battle with London later today.

Steutel is expecting another tough examination at the hands of mid-table Surrey and added: “They’re coming off a game on New Year’s Day against London that they’ll feel they should have won.

“That match-up was yet another example of the competitiveness within this league and shows just how well the 89ers handle the ball.

“They’re always a challenging team to scout for because of the way they use the space on court.

“It’s a long trip on the back of a tough game against Riders and some of our guys have never been there before.

“We’re in the middle of a testing three-game run right now and it’s a monumental period for us.”

The Sunday afternoon clash tips-off at 2:30pm with the action screened live and for free on DAZN.