NEWCASTLE Eagles have whittled their wish-list down to two names as they look to add to their threadbare roster before Friday’s clash with Sheffield Sharks.
After pulling out of negotiations with former star Reggie Jackson due to his wage demands, the Eagles will now sign either former Miami University graduate James Dews or Brandon Dagans, who has been playing in Portugal.
The Eagles have already reached an agreement with Dagans, who averaged 22 points a game for Portuguese top-flight outfit Casino Figueira Ginasio last season – but they also have an interest in the highly-rated Dews.
Both can play in the two guard position vacated by Joe Chapman, who is out for the season with a ruptured Achilles.
“Things are changing with every passing day but we feel there are now two names that we’re looking at – James Dews and Brandon Dagans,” Eagles managing director Paul Blake said.
“At the moment we have an agreement with Brandon while we’re in negotiations with James. It is really down to (acting head coach) Dave Forrester and who he believes will be the best fit for where we are at the moment.
“Time is of the essence but we want to make the right decision. Both have excellent pedigree – Dagans was one of the top players in Portugal, while Dews has an excellent college career behind him.
“It is a shame that we couldn’t come to an agreement with Reggie but we can’t afford to spend too much time negotiating on any one player.”
Blake expects to move quickly once he has been given an indication on which player Forrester favours.
And that means there is even a chance of the new man getting minutes when the high-flying Sharks roll into town on Friday.
“There is certainly a chance of getting it done by Friday,” he said.
“If we can get the work permit turned around we can get someone over here in time for the game on Friday but to be honest that is not the priority. It certainly wouldn’t be the end of the world if we didn’t manage to make that happen.
“Whoever it is, they will have a limited impact this weekend because they will not know the system and it will take them a bit of time to settle in.
“To be honest I am looking more at the fact we don’t have a game for two weeks, which will give us a chance to integrate anyone who comes in into the system in time for the end of the season.”
There will be disappointment among the Eagles support that they failed in a bid to bring Jackson back to Tyneside.
A popular figure, he was a major part of the side that won BBL titles in 2009 and 2010 but the Eagles hierarchy refused to break the bank to bring him back.
“We just couldn’t come to an agreement,” Blake said. “We could potentially afford to do it but we would have been very stretched and we didn’t feel that it made financial sense at this stage.
“It is a shame but we have to remain sensible in our financial planning and there are plenty of quality players out there who are free agents at the moment.”
