Seneca Knight on new challenges with Newcastle, working with Coach Steutel and more

The Newcastle Eagles once again made waves in the summer with their roster moves, with the headline-grabber this off-season being the acquisition of European North Basketball League (ENBL) top-scorer, Seneca Knight.

The 24-year-old Louisiana native guard moved to Tyneside off the back of a scorching hot rookie campaign in Latvia where he faced the Eagles in European action.

After a similarly spectacular start to his sophomore professional season, we caught up with the 6’7” American to reflect on his move to the Vertu Motors Arena.

“I first spoke to Newcastle in July,” Knight said.

“I was excited to hear of their interest in me because I instantly thought about when we’d played against them last year and the impression they’d left on me not only as a team of players but also the coaching as well.

“The opportunity to come here and play for a young, ambitious Head Coach in Marc Steutel was something that really excited me and was my main reason for coming here. He’s pushing me every day to get better and I love that challenge.

“What’s stood out for me so far is his belief in himself, in me and the group of guys he’s built here to go and achieve our goals. He’s empowered me a lot to do what I feel I’m capable of doing on the floor, and that makes such a difference as a young player as opposed to having to prove something to your coach every time you step on the floor.”

Trusting the process

Three games into his stint with the most successful club in the history of topflight British basketball, Knight has shown no signs of slowing down after that outstanding debut season last time out on the continent.

The guard leads the undefeated Eagles in scoring (15.3ppg) at this early stage of the season whilst also ranking third in rebounding for the roster and sits tied for fourth in assists and second in steals.

All of Knight’s key statistics show improvements from his domestic numbers in Latvia last season, and the overwhelming expectation is that the 24-year-old guard will only get better for his new side as the season goes on. Knight discussed his approach to this season and where he feels he and the team have room to grow in the coming weeks.

“You always feel a little bit of pressure coming off a good year, because you come into the next year with a mentality of ‘dang, how do I top it?’ but I trust in the work I’ve done and the team we have here to help me continue to be the best player I can be for the Newcastle Eagles.

“As a team we’ve had a great start, but we can improve on our consistency on the defensive end. It’s still early so I have no doubt we’ll get better there, but it’s certainly an area to tighten up because in the games so far where we’ve made mistakes there it has impacted our rhythm on the other end of the floor, so it’s something we want to improve.

“We’re talented enough to beat anybody in the league. We’ve played a lot of games so far and I love it – I’d play a game every day if I could. The challenges we’ve had from everybody has been different too, but that’s a lot of fun for me because I learn so much from each game and grow and we’ve had a lot of fun taking on those challenges as a team.”

All part of the plan

Picking up a basketball for the first time at just three years old, Knight’s love affair with the game started young, but he was also a talented football player – more talented in that sport than basketball as a youngster, in the American’s opinion – where the now 6’7” guard shone as a forward.

Whilst what could have been is interesting to speculate on – an athletic 6’7” striker in football would be a frightening prospect – Knight choose the hardwood because of his love for how the game connected with him, and discussed how not always having his now significant physical stature helped build him into a more complete hooper.

“I was always playing up an age group or against older kids growing up, so I’ve always thrived on those challenges. I was small as well and didn’t grow a lot until much later than most kids, so I worked hard on locked in with my fundamentals and things like that as a guard.

“When I hit my growth spurt, I went from 5’10” to 6’7” in just a few years, but the great thing was I still had all those skills I developed as a smaller guy, so now at my height I’m very versatile for my position. I can play one through four on both ends and it has been great to have that versatility because it’s something my coaches really value.   

“I guess it was frustrating to grow late, but everything happens for a reason and with the skillset I have now and the height I have I can not only see over the defence, but I have the ability to take advantage of what I see out there and make life easier for my teammates, so it has been very beneficial.  

“Coming into my rookie year last year, I always knew I was a good scorer because I’d proven it in college, but to be the top scorer in the ENBL in my first season overseas was something I guess I thought I could do, but I was also surprised at as well.

“I guess as an athlete you always think when you step up to the next level that there will be challenges and obstacles that mean you can’t quite do what you’re good at as easily as you used to, but thankfully I overcame that and had a great year to lead the ENBL in scoring.”

Much more to come

As one of only two teams in the Super League Basketball Trophy to retain an undefeated record, the Eagles are 3-0 in the North Group and have seen off stern challenges from Caledonia, Manchester and Sheffield so far.

Whilst Knight himself has impressed individually and statistically with his performances, the cohesion of the team has stood out above all else as different players have stepped up in games and moments to keep the wins rolling in.

The American discussed his theory behind why the team has been able to deliver such a successful start.

“The progress we’ve made as a team already has been special. The chemistry we’ve built is incredible… you can’t teach it, you can’t fake it, but we genuinely have it which shows on the court in the way we share the ball and attack challenges we face.

“We don’t give each other any days off, we hold each other accountable every day whether we’re on the court or in the gym or whatever we’re doing. We’ve got big ambitions and we know that to achieve them we’ve got to push each other every time we’re together to get better one day at a time.

“I’ve been pleased with my own growth and progress. I think I’ve played well and been consistent, but I’ve also learned a lot as well. Just looking at a guy like Darius, he’s played 21 years at this level and I have learned so much from him already. Josh sends me clips of film all the time as well to help me grow and improve, and it means the world to have these guys and all my teammates and coaches supporting me every day.”

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