Anthony Martin signs for Newcastle Eagles
The announcement this morning that Anthony Martin is now part of the fold at Newcastle signals that the reigning champions across the whole BBL spectrum are close to finalising their squad. Also announced this morning is the addition of two young and promising players in Eddie Matthew and Theo Turner, who will be looking to gain experience within a professional side.
Newcastle Eagles statement:
“Newcastle Eagles are delighted to announce the signing of Anthony Martin to bolster their squad for the upcoming season. Martin is 13th all time in the BBL in career assists, averaging nearly 5 assists over his 214 game career and has been in the BBL since 2004, taking only a short break out to play in Denmark in 2010. He first came to prominence in the 2004-05 season, when he teamed up with Trey Moore in the backcourt for a Chester Jets team that pipped the Eagles to the league title. He subsequently went on to spend a number of years at the Plymouth Raiders and featured in the team that ran the Eagles close in both the Cup and Trophy last year.
Eagles player coach Fab Flournoy commented: ‘Anthony will potentially be the quickest player in the league next season. We were impressed with the way that he came to play in the finals last year and feel that the change of pace he offers will be a great benefit to us. He is very adept at getting scorers the ball in positions where they can be effective. He has also become far more of a scoring threat in recent years”.
Following the departure of Ross Wilson to Rice University and Lamar Morrison, the team will also be joined by two new juniors in the training group this season; Eddie Matthew and Theo Turner
Eddie has been part of the Eagles School of Excellence for the past 4 years, this past season he represented the Under 18’s side, despite still qualifying as an Under 16. His first contribution for the under 18’s side was to score 32 points against a strong Sheffield Sharks team, in what proved to be a breakout season.
At 6’11”, 17 year old Theo Turner is looking to make an impact for both the Eagles and Team Northumbria this season, before moving to the USA to pursue a path in NCAA basketball. Theo is currently a member of Tyne Met College academy programme, under the tutelage of Team Northumbria head coach Marc Steutel; ‘Theo is a relatively late starter in the game but has exponentially developed in this time. He is receiving interest from several US programmes and we look forward to working with him for another year’.
The Eagles will be making final decisions on the signing of a further senior player in the next 48 hours, before going into the regular season. The team start pre-season this week and play for the first time in the Sport Central tournament on the 10th and 11th September. Tickets are available by calling the Eagles hotline on 0191 245 3880, online at www.newcastle-eagles.com or direct from Sport Central reception.”
