Basketball: Eagles can blast Heat - Hurricane; Tony tips old team.

Byline: By PAUL NILSEN

BRITISH basketball legend and former Eagles favourite Tony "The Hurricane"

Windless has given his former club a huge boost by tipping them to land the BBL Trophy on Sunday against Guildford Heat.

The Leicester Riders forward had an opportunity to take a closer look at the Eagles when he went up against his old team last weekend.

And while it was hardly a classic performance, the veteran wasn't too perturbed by an offensively lacklustre display.

However, while backing Newcastle to come out on top he was also at pains to point out that Fab Flournoy's men are unlikely to get it all their own way down at the Spectrum.

"I have played against Guildford three times this season and I have played against Newcastle three times also this season, and I think that if the Eagles play their normal tough defence then I think they will edge the Heat out and win the trophy," said Windless.

"However, I am not going to rule Guildford out because they have been playing pretty good also.

"I really like the new import guy they brought in, Keonta Howell, as he can shoot the ball really well and, with the likes of EJ Harrison and the strength of Mike Martin, they shouldn't be taken lightly.

"In fact, I think that Guildford are a really tough team and I think this could be a great game for both fans and maybe closer than people might think."

Speaking to Windless about the Trophy certainly brought the memories flooding back from 2001, when the Eagles made their first ever appearance in this particular BBL final. For on that day he was one of the main men in black-and-white, with the forward a marked man as eventual winners Chester focused on putting the shackles on him.

This time around, according to Windless it will be Trey Moore, a player in irresistible form, who can expect some special attention from Guildford who he feels will be doing everything in their power to nullify the Eagles ace.

"The key for the Eagles to winning the game is pretty simple. Trey Moore must have a great game.

"He showed in the game with us that even when he isn't scoring freely he still influences things and can end up with 20 points.

"Make no mistake about it, Guildford's game plan will be to try and stop Trey and knock him our of his stride and to make sure he doesn't play really big in the game.

"That will make the likes of the veterans like Charles Smith have to really step up, which he hasn't always been able to do this season consistently, and that will put pressure on the other guys which is what Paul James and Guildford will be looking for.

"I also think that while the Eagles are favourites, it is always pretty tough to win on the home court of any team in this league, so it will be a pretty interesting game."

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HEAT IS ON: Newcastle hot shot Trey Moore (above) will be targeted by Guildford in Sunday's BBL Trophy final, according to former Eagles favourite Tony Windless (right)