Newcastle Eagles make first acquisition of Steutel…

The first signing of Head Coach Marc Steutel’s reign at the helm of the Newcastle Eagles sees proven forward Rowell Graham-Bell arriving to give power and scoring ability to what will be a new-look Eagles side.

The 6’6” former Plymouth City Patriots star swoops into the Vertu Motors Arena for the 2022-23 season after an excellent BBL campaign last season where he averaged 15 points and seven rebounds per game.

“It
feels great to be playing for this club and I hope the fans are excited to
start the season,” said Graham-Bell.

“The
Eagles have always been a team that’s in the conversation for me and I’ve heard
nothing but good things about Newcastle, which made the decision to come here
easy.

“I
hope to bring the full package of offence, defence and energy. I take pride in
doing all these things to the best of my ability and I can say without a doubt
those skills have increased and will continue to.”

The
explosive forward brings international experience to Tyneside having previously
played in Spain for six seasons moving from EBA to LEB Silver and then LEB
Gold.

Prior to signing for the Patriots last year, the 27-year-old Londoner played in Iceland’s top division as well as Germany’s Pro-B league, gaining him exposure, experience and Steutel was buoyant about the prospect of working with his new signing.

“Rowell is an extremely exciting player and one I can’t wait to see in a Newcastle Eagles uniform. He is dynamic, fiercely competitive and has shown his versatility and skill over his career in many ways.

“Since
working with Rowell on the GB Under-20s National team in 2013 I have followed
his career closely and I am ecstatic to get the opportunity to work together
again.

“As
impactful as a player Rowell was last season for Plymouth, he and I both
believe he has still more to offer and I’m excited he’ll be doing that with us
this year.

“I
know that the Eagles fans will love Rowell and the way he plays the game. He is
key in helping us build our identity as a team heading into this season.”

Rowell
has been keeping in trim for the new season and honing his skills with a spell
in Canada’s CEBL league this summer, turning out for both Edmonton Stingers and
Newfoundland Growlers so will be match-fit as he flies into Newcastle.

“Being
a part of what coach Steutel has coming is exciting for me as I’m sure we are
on the same page from the conversations we’ve had,” added Graham-Bell.

“If
there is one thing I would say to the fans is I promise you this going to be a
fun season for everyone and I hope they are ready to make a lot of noise.”