GREAT Britain skipper Drew Sullivan reckons he’s already made his point to the Newcastle Eagles – as he hopes to sabotage their BBL Cup dream for the second successive season.

Last season former Eagle Sullivan, who still has strong ties to the North East, was a key member of the Mersey Tigers team that toppled Newcastle in both cup competitions as part of their barren campaign.

Delivering a series of influential displays when the teams met last year, it was clear that he was intent on making a statement to head coach Fab Flournoy after the Eagles opted not to bring him back to Tyneside, despite helping them to the BBL title the previous season.

He has since departed the cash-strapped Tigers and signed for Leicester Riders and with a new team has come a new attitude to his former employers. No longer looking for revenge, Sullivan will play Saturday’s BBL Cup semi-final on his own terms.

“I think I still get a bit of extra motivation playing against the Eagles, but last year was different – there was a bit to prove,” he said.

“Maybe last year I felt that I wanted to show Newcastle that they’d made a mistake in not signing me. I think I proved that over the games that we played.

“I went there and played some really big games against them in crucial games but from my stand point, the pressure is now off. I don’t have to think about going there and playing a 30-point game, I can go there and be 100% focused on helping the team.”

Besides, as Sullivan is at pains to point out, the Riders are no one-man team.

Although Atiba Lyons’ Sheffield Sharks were tipped to provide most competition for the Eagles, it is Leicester who are snapping at the Newcastle’s heels after the first couple of months of the season.

They have a 100% record from their four league games so far this season and made pretty serene progress through the group stage in the cup competition too.

“Rob (Pasternoto) has done a really, really good job recruiting,” he said.

“He has brought an extremely good team together and they were that before I signed as well. We are a good side that are well-drilled and know what we’re doing – there is definitely a confidence about us.”

Having squeezed out victories over the last three weeks, the Eagles will need to play better this weekend.

Saturday’s Cup game with Leicester comes 24 hours after their home game with Plymouth Raiders – another team that appear dangerous this season.

It is the unbeaten Riders that will worry Eagles fans the most though, with Sullivan insistent that they will play their own game rather than worrying about Newcastle. “We don’t see it as us competing against the Eagles – we’re competing against the entire league,” he said.

“It is still very early days to be talking about it being a Leicester versus Newcastle season.

“This is not an opportunity to put one over Newcastle, it is an opportunity to get to a cup final – which was one of our big aims at the start of the season.” Interestingly Sullivan remains on a week-to-week contract in the East Midlands but with the Olympics only a few months away, he insists there is no rush to broker a more lasting deal.

“We’re still talking about stuff but we’re looking to get something done,” he said. “There is no real hurry on either side – I’m just enjoying my basketball at the moment.”