Key disruptor Malcolm Delpeche has been described as the ‘Dennis Rodman of Newcastle Eagles’ as the relentless big man continues to do the dirty work for the in-form Tynesiders.

The forward’s commitment to the cause has won warm praise from head coach Marc Steutel on the back of three successive wins.

And Delpeche’s never-say-die attitude will be key to Newcastle bagging a fifth win in sixth when basement scrappers Caledonia Gladiators arrive in town tonight.

“During the last three games Malcolm has been the best version of a player we really appreciate at this club,” said Steutel.

“He’s a great guy on and off the court. His teammates love him and he’s just super professional.

“Malcolm works hard every day to make sure he’s in the best shape possible on game night. He’s so durable and he takes a beating most weeks.

“There are always plays every player wants to improve on and Malcolm knows where he can do better — he wants to get better.

“But what you can’t deny is the commitment he brings to this basketball club every single minute he’s on court.

“His ability to protect the ring is key and it’s underpinned the run of wins we’re on right now.

“There was one offensive rebound he gobbled up towards the end of the Phoenix game last week that was Rodman-esque! He does a great job of keeping the ball alive and I love to see it.”

Delpeche has played some of his best basketball of the season in the absence of veteran duo Darius Defoe and Josh Ward-Hibbert.

But the dependable pair are both expected to see some court time against Gladiators ahead of a two-week pause in domestic action.

Following tonight’s final buzzer Steutel switches his focus to international duty with Great Britain back on Tyneside later this month.

And he’s urging his players to give one final Herculean effort before a deserved break from Super League Basketball.

“The schedule has been brutal to us in the last few weeks and yet we’ve won four out of five including a final and while missing a few big players,” he added.

“We have a lot of double-header weekends coming up so the guys need this time to refresh and reset before the business end of the season.

“Of course we want to go into the break on the back of a win against Gladiators and I’ve spent the last week getting up to speed on those guys.

“They’re onto their third coach this season and there’s been a lot of change on and off the court.

“They’ve brought in Devearl Ramsey who we know very well from his time with Sheffield Sharks but when we play with the force we’ve been playing with lately we have to feel confident going into any game.”

Caledonia playcaller Jonny Bunyan replaced Robbie Peers last month after a disastrous appointment went badly wrong for the struggling Scots.

Gladiators remain rooted to the bottom of the SLB following a humbling 77-68 homecourt defeat to fast-rising Surrey 89ers earlier this month.

But a roster boasting experienced GB duo Patrick Whelan — a player Steutel has huge respect for — and Teddy Okreafor can’t be taken lightly.

Nevertheless, Newcastle have won four out of five against the Glasgow franchise this season and, with Defoe and Ward-Hibbert set to return, few would bet against a fourth win on the bounce.

“It’s been a different challenge for us to prepare for just one game this week but we’ve made the most of our time together on the practice court,” said Steutel.

“I’m hopeful we’ll have a full roster this week. Darius gave me a headache due to how much he was talking to his team-mates during the game last week so it’ll be good to see him back on court!”

It’s special game this evening as a flavour of the MOBO Awards comes to the Vertu Motors Arena ahead of next week’s ceremony being hosted in Newcastle for the first time.

Limited remaining tickets for the tip-off with live performances and DJ sets pre-game and at half-time are available from the box office.