EMOTIONAL FLOURNOY REACTS TO EAGLES’ TITLE SUCCESS

Speaking after the 107-97 success against Manchester Giants which sealed another title for the north-east powerhouse, the play-caller paid tribute to his players and was even more excited by this success than any of his others.

“My initial reaction is just that it is unbelievable and I’m so happy,” he declared.

“I feel so much joy and this is a landmark moment in my estimation of everything that I have achieved.

“Really – I can’t express the amount of joy I feel.

“This success was a little bit different because we started off the season with not exactly a question mark, but when I said at the pre-season press conference that this team was potentially special and then we the lost opening game of season, it was interesting.

“From that moment on, it seems like the guys were on a mission and I think we floated under the radar a lot this season in the early days.

“We discovered some incredible rhythm – we played together and it just felt right.

“We thought we were going to run away with it and then the injuries come and that is what the BBL is about – consistency.

“You also have to have talent and ride your luck.”

He continued, “These recent games started to look shaky from many standpoints, but the commitment from this special group was unbelievable.

“When the final buzzer sounded it was indescribable.

“To have a run of winning as much as we have had over a 10 year period and to have more than 20 trophies is incredible.

“But we want to continue this legacy and all the team and the club wants to do now is to keep on winning.”

Flournoy and the Eagles will now focus on trying to land a clean sweep by taking the BBL Play-Off Final, having previously collected the BBL Cup and BBL Trophy earlier in the campaign.