‘Prince’ Charles Smith is predicting further success for a Newcastle Eagles team perfectly positioned to add to the franchise’s bulging trophy cabinet.

The three-time Trophy MVP was courtside on Sunday to see his former club reclaim the coveted piece of silverware that kickstarted a golden era under Fabulous Flournoy 20 years ago.

And ahead of tonight’s Championship clash against London Lions, Smith believes last weekend’s big win against Bristol can fuel a fresh tilt at British basketball’s major titles.

“When we lifted that first Trophy in 2005 it lit a fire in us,” said Newcastle’s former number 10.

“It gave us the belief and the confidence that we could go on and win more and more trophies.

“We enjoyed the taste of success and we wanted more. We weren’t content with one title — we wanted two, three, four and more.

“That’s how the Eagles became the franchise they are today and I can see the same thing happening with the current group of guys.

“They’ve already proved they can play with anybody in this league but they’ve just lacked a little bit of consistency. That will come.

“Crucially, they have the hunger and the mentality that makes for a winning team.”

Smith — now head coach of Division One disruptors City Of Birmingham Rockets — took great pleasure in watching Newcastle’s next generation lay down a marker for the Marc Steutel era.

And a player who once dropped 21 points in the first quarter of a Cup final, while missing a contact lens, delighted in the lightning start of Mike Okauru and his team-mates’ ability to maintain the pressure.

“It’s a nightmare to defend this Newcastle team,” he added. “Just when you think you’ve finally locked down one guy, another player pops up and scores a bunch of points.

“You had Okauru in the first quarter, Seneca Knight after that and then De’Sean Allen-Eikens joining the party.

“It’s like the Eagles teams of old when we had multiple options and so many scoring threats.

“I benefited from that big time back in the day — coming off the bench when the opposition defence was so tired from trying to stop my team-mates.

“Bristol expended so much energy looking to lock down Okauru that they had no answer to Knight.”

If Newcastle’s offence purred against the nonplussed Flyers then it was stifling defence that provided the platform for that first quarter surge.

And Smith added: “Marc took Bristol out of what they wanted to do early on. Eagles were so physical and they denied Flyers so many passes.

“If I’ve had one criticism of this Newcastle team it’s that they don’t always have a helpside and they’ve been a bit lacklustre in that respect.

“Not on Sunday. The focus and the effort was fantastic.”

Former Newcastle University playcaller Smith still attempts to fit the odd Eagles fixture into a packed schedule dominated by Rockets’ NBL campaign.

But he’ll be watching tonight’s Vertu Motors Arena clash with the Lions from afar as the hosts look to tame the Lions for a second time this month.

“Eagles showed on Sunday that they have that big game mentality,” added Smith. “They showed up on the day, proved they wanted it more and got the job done.

“Those are the qualities that will count for the rest of this season but this is a team where the players seem to have bought into their roles and where they’re ready to take whatever opportunity comes their way.

“I’m excited to see just how far these guys can go.”

Only a handful of tickets are still available for tonight’s ‘Trophy Homecoming’ — with the club’s 28^th major honour due to be presented to homecourt fans — and they are selling fast from the box office.