The Newcastle Eagles have an opportunity to elevate the status of Super League Basketball by becoming the first British team to win the ENBL.

It is a new era in British Basketball with the league being rebranded as Super League Basketball at the start of the 2024/25 season – with DAZN taking on the rights to televise all games on their streaming platform.

Even with a fresh new look, basketball snobbery still exists as countries around the globe continue to see England as a stepping stone in a players career as they look to greater things.

The NBA will always be the pinnacle of the game, but European players are starting to turn heads in the USA – such as Nikola Jokic and Luke Doncic – which presents an opportunity to shine a light on other leagues.

Marc Steutel’s side have the skillset to beat anyone when they are at their energetic best – as they recently displayed against the Leicester Riders, but the side has to find some consistency in their performances if they want to win the European North Basketball League.

The ENBL is also in the early years of its carnation and is still attempting to become the prestigious competition that much of the media are dawning it as.

Poland have dominated the proceedings of the competition that has now entered its fourth year of existence – winning the competition on two occasions while the most recent title landed on Denmark’s shores.

However, teams from Great Britain only joined the competition in its third year and will now be desperate to steep their name in history.

Directors of Super League Basketball will know that if they want the popularity of the league to grow to create a larger income for the league, in turn creating larger money to invest into grassroots basketball, British teams have to make their mark on the biggest stage.

Tyneside’s finest soared through their first five ENBL fixtures this term but came crashing back down to earth when suffering a defeat on the road to Valmeira Glass VIA.

The side that play in the Estonian-Latvian league were victorious against the Eagles in tightly matched affair – 87 – 84.

Despite the defeat, the most successful side in British Basketball history have the opportunity to showcase the vibrant product that we have on British soil. A league that improves in talent each passing year.

Can the Newcastle Eagles revel in European glory?