Date Time League Season
October 18, 2024 7:30 pm Men's SLB Trophy 2024-25

Josh Ward-Hibbert is proving night after night that there are few better players in Super League Basketball right now.

That’s the verdict of playcaller Marc Steutel as Newcastle Eagles’ do-it-all guard continues to set the standard within a remodelled roster.

Josh Ward-Hibbert once again put in an MVP performance in the midweek ENBL game against Slovak team Spisski Rytieri. (Photo: Abbie Orwin)

But as the rest of the country sits up and takes notice of the in-form Great Britain star, following a stunning start to the season, his coach for club and country has seen nothing he didn’t already know.


“What I’ve seen from Josh in the last few weeks is what I know he can do and it’s what I expect from him,” said Steutel.

“He’s a leader. He’s professional. He cares emotionally and physically and he’s more skilled than anyone probably gives him credit for.

“So he’s not doing anything that we don’t expect of Josh.


“But the fact that he’s doing it consistently each night is really, really pleasing for me and I think he’s proving that he’s one of the best British players in the league.

“Hopefully that continues because he’s so important for our group and for everything that we do.”

Ward-Hibbert was raging as Newcastle lost their 100 per cent record at Cheshire Phoenix last weekend.

But the former London and Leicester favourite responded in style with another MVP display in Slovakia on Wednesday as the Eagles made a winning return to European North Basketball League (ENBL) action.


And expect Ward-Hibbert to be leading the home side’s revenge mission when Phoenix rock up at the Vertu Motors Arena for Friday night basketball.

“We understand the importance of Friday’s game as we try to build on what’s been a very positive start to the Trophy campaign,” added Steutel.

“There are a few things that we want to try and fix from last weekend and a few things that we know we can do better.

“It’s obvious that we need to negate a few of their strengths and I’m confident we can exploit certain areas now that we’ve seen Phoenix in the flesh.

“We’ll need mental discipline to do that but one of the positives to come out of Wednesday’s win was the mental attitude of this group.”

There’s no love lost between Newcastle and Cheshire — or head coaches Steutel and Ben Thomas — and fans can expect another fiery affair on Tyneside.

Two of the biggest characters in British basketball relish going head to head on the sidelines but Phoenix have had the better of things in the last few years.

And Steutel knows he needs to be at his very best to outsmart another well-pieced together Thomas roster.

“For sure we need to get our tactical preparation right but after the week we’ve had it’s just as much about recovery and resetting,” he added, as Newcastle close in on their fourth fixture in eight days.

“We finished the game in Slovakia on Wednesday night and made sure we did a lot of the basics right in terms of physical recovery, the right amount of sleep and the right nutrition.

“We just have to hope that pays dividends. After a long travel day I then need my players to lock into the tactics and gameplan for Cheshire.”

Ex-Phoenix big Will Neighbour remains a doubt for the clash and Steutel will take a roll call before tip-off following a gruelling early-season schedule.

But one of the strengths of a new-look Eagles is a roster boasting a range of scoring options — with Cole Long successfully added to that mix.

The Canadian continued on his road back to full fitness with 12 minutes in Slovakia — an eye-catching spell that returned seven points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal.

Limited tickets remain on the box office for this huge Vertu Motors Arena clash, which is heading towards becoming thea first sold-out crowd of the new season.