Marc Steutel is confident Newcastle Eagles can be the gift that keeps on giving ahead of a crucial pre-Christmas double header.

In an ominous warning to his Super League Basketball (SLB) rivals, the club’s playcaller insisted the men in black can be twice as good.

And in a further show of strength, Steutel revealed big man Will Neighbour is finally ready to return to action against Caledonia Gladiators.

“The exciting thing for me is that I don’t think we’re anywhere near where we can be,” said Newcastle’s head coach.

“We’ve only played to 50 per cent of our potential so far and there’s a lot more to come.

“We have so much more room to grow which, in itself, is really exciting considering the positive start we’ve had to the season.

“I want to make sure we go into Christnas playing the right way and with the right attitude and I think we’ll only get better from here.”

Steutel’s bullish statement of intent follows back-to-back defeats for the first time this season.

Losses against Valmiera Glass VIA and Leicester Riders may have somewhat tempered expectations following a stunning six-game winning streak.

But the bigger picture is that the men in black are still in contention on four fronts with the SLB Cup and Trophy taking centre stage this weekend.

The Eagles face the Gladiators for the fifth time this season before looking to finish the job against Leicester in Sunday’s Trophy second leg tie.

“To face a team five times before Christmas is a lot,” admitted Steutel as he looks to build on four successive wins against Newcastle’s border rivals.

“This game probably feels slightly different because there’s a new coach and some new faces but there’s obviously some consistency on the roster as well.

“Fraser Malcolm, Pat Whelan, Fahro Alihodzic and Princeton Onwas might feel like they have a point to prove.

“But we’ve got to try and make sure that we do the things well that have meant we’ve  been successful against them in the past.

“We need to figure out some of their new personnel but it looks like a very player-led team.

“They appear to be free to play how they want and that can be dangerous.”

Caledonia playcaller Robbie Peers has made a surprise return to British Basketball’s top flight after replacing Gareth Murray.

But he has a huge job on his hands attempting to turn around a disastrous start to the season.

And it may well be that Peers’ focus is on Sunday’s trip to Championship contenders London Lions.

Newcastle will certainly provide another tough test after dominating this season’s series and the return to action of Neighbour only strengthens Steutel’s hand.

The Eagles big man has been out of action for three months but he suited up at Leicester last weekend.

And Steutel added: “Will’s going to be back this weekend which is great news for him and us.

“He dressed on Sunday as part of his return to play plan and he’s had a really good week of practice.

“He’s available for selection and we’re all glad to have him back.”

This Cup First Round knock-out clash tips off at 7.30pm at the Vertu Motors Arena with tickets still available from the box office.