Trey Pulliam is expected to make his debut in a Newcastle Eagles jersey on Friday night against the high-flying London Lions.

Marc Steutel’s side have struggled to find consistency on the court in recent weeks – stuttering to just one win in their last five SLB Championship games.

A lack of a traditional point guard, who can be the team’s primary ball handler and bring a creative spark to the floor, has become the major contributor to Newcastle’s substandard form.

Seneca Knight, currently occupying the role, has had mixed success so far this year. But what else can be expected from a player who is learning on the job?

Step up, Trey Pulliam.

The point-guard who graduated from San-Diego University never appeared to have a natural talent for scoring the ball or creating during his college days – averaging 8.7 points per game and 3.4 assists per game during his senior year.

Despite these underwhelming numbers, Pulliam decided to take a chance and declared for the NBA draft in 2022, seeing him go undrafted.

It would have been easy for Newcastle newest point guard to throw his toys out of the pram and go sulk in the corner of a dark room. However, the adversity did not steer Trey away from his life-long dreams of playing professional basketball.

KK Cacak 94 – a Serbian basketball team – were the first to roll the dice on the undrafted star, where he would stay for the first two years of his budding career.

The young star was stepping into unfound territory. Acclimatising to a new culture across the globe while attempting to rediscover the confidence that would undoubtably have been shattered after missing out on the pinnacle of basketball – the NBA.

Nevertheless, this was the making of Trey Pulliam. In his second and final year at KK Cakac 94, the point guard would average 12.8 ppg and 6.2 apg as he finally showcased his playmaking ability.

Vultures would begin circling as his contract dwindled down. It was no surprise when a Cypriot team lurked in the shadows to snap up their prey, as several English clubs have experienced over the years.

APOEL Nicosia was the next destination for the young American.

Although, the 26 year-old clearly was not a fan of the Cypriot cuisine as he only managed to stick around for 11 games, which is when the Newcastle Eagles came swooping in.

Trey Pulliman is starting to display the exact attributes that are needed to establish Steutel’s side as a legitimate threat come play-off time and with the SLB Trophy Final rapidly approaching, the coach will desperate to make improvements in their offense.

Will Pulliman be an instant success? This is the square that has to be circled. The point-guard will be match fit and ready to go, but will he be clued up with Newcastle’s game-plan?

Fans will be anxiously waiting to see if the former San-Diego guard is the answer to the stale ball-movement issues and slow starts that have crippled the side in recent weeks.

There is clear talent on Tyneside, but will Trey Pulliman release the Eagles from their shackles so they can become an elite force in the new era of British basketball?

It may be better to taper expectations for now, but it is a significant step in the right direction.