When crunch time arrives in the Playoffs
and your team’s coach needs to make adjustments to seal the win in a big game,
there are few things more valuable than experience to call upon.
In most cases fans would think of experienced players, and whilst in the north-east Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles Head Coach Marc Steutel has that in the form of a star-studded roster, he also has one of the most experienced coaches in the game to rely on in the form of Gary Stronach.
Born and raised a Geordie, Stronach’s
career started with Sunderland in the 1980s before rising to further prominence
with the Plymouth Raiders in the 80s, 90s and 2000s.
Stronach led the Raiders from the National Basketball League to the British Basketball League as a player, player-coach and head coach, and secured the club’s only major British Basketball League title in their history by winning the Trophy in 2007 – beating his beloved Newcastle in an incredible final – before stepping away from the game in 2010.
Returning to the sidelines in 2021 with his
hometown Eagles, Stronach discussed his motivations for picking up his coaching
clipboard once more and why he has found a ‘friend for life’ in Steutel.
“When I decided to step away from the
Raiders in 2010 I intended to continue coaching, but I had the opportunity to move
to the Middle East away from the sport and did that instead for several years.
“The more time I spent away from the game
the less I wanted to get back into it, but I was watching a game on one of my
visits home to Newcastle and I started to get the itch again. It was a close
battle and I started to think about what adjustments I’d make and things like
that, and from then my thinking started to change.
“In 2021 I was given the opportunity to
meet with the Eagles Head Coach at the time, Ian Macleod, about joining his
staff and I jumped at the chance. It opened my eyes to how much the game had
changed in the 11 years I’d been away and all the new concepts that were very
different in many ways to what were prominent when I was at Plymouth.
“When Marc [Steutel] took the role after
Ian, he was keen to keep me involved and I was delighted to continue. We’ve had
two good years on and off the court and I’ve found a friend for life in him. I
have so much respect for him, we work together very well and we’ve had a good
season that we just want to close out in the right way.”
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