Kwara Falcons are hoping to prove they're worth their place at the Basketball Africa League when they travel to Dakar, Senegal in March to represent Nigeria at the third edition of the tournament.
Nigeria were represented by Rivers Hoopers in the inaugural tournament in 2021, but did not have a team in 2022 after they were disqualified by FIBA. The country's basketball federation, the NBBF, was punished for breaching government interference rules and the Hoopers were left in the cold.
The Falcons, who qualified to represent the country at the 2023 BAL after emerging champions of the NBBF Final 8 tournament, will play in the Sahara Conference alongside 2022 champions US Monastir, heavyweights AS Douanes, and fellow newcomers ABC Fighters and Stade Malien. Rwanda Energy Group complete the pool.
READ: ESPN's Team-By-Team Guide to BAL 2023
The upstarts from the western Nigerian city shocked the local basketball fraternity to claim their first ever domestic title, running roughshod over big guns like last year's runners up Gombe Bulls, Kano Pillars and Customs against all expectations.
After besting Nigerian giants Customs 78-53 in the Final to claim the championship and the prestigious ticket, their coach Jibril Baba Kadri was unbothered by the quality of opposition on the continent.
"We want to make a statement," he told ESPN. "The BAL is a different tournament, it is a higher league, there are more people with vast experience and quality that we are going to face.
"But we are not going to go there just to participate and come back home. This is an opportunity that does not come easy so we want to make it count by making a statement when we get there."
At the time they won the title, in late 2022, Kadri himself was left shell-shocked by the result.
"You don't go into a tournament expecting not to win, even if nobody else expects you to," he told ESPN. "But when you look at the teams that were there, it was not easy to dislodge them.
"But I have a team of talented young players who were hungry to win and they really wanted this, so I am very happy for them.
"I feel happy and excited because this is the first time Kwara Falcons will do something like this. It is a huge achievement for us. It is going to take a long time before I feel normal again.
"This has been my dream that one day we will become champions but it came early. Christmas came early and we are still in shock. I am still in shock."
To prove that their championship credentials were no fluke, in early February, Falcons defeated Hoopers 67-57 on their way to adding the Louis Edem Invitational tournament title to their growing trophy haul.
That fearlessness is what they are taking into the BAL, Kadri added: "Among all the teams competing, we appear to be the minnows. That is an advantage for me because the opposition will not have a clue of what to expect from us.
"But having played against some of those teams during my days, I fully know what to expect from most of the teams."
Some of that mystique will be lost though, just as more detailed insight will be gained. Kwara are currently in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire to take part in the Orange Ball, a pre-BAL tournament sponsored by telecommunications giants Orange and involving two other Sahara Conference teams, ABC Fighters and Stade Malien along with Cameroon's Kadji Sports Academy.
As part of fortifying their team in readiness for the tournament, the Falcons have acquired Owen Oriakhi from Hoopers. The point guard brings experience from BAL season one and international know-how from playing for the national team and will be invaluable in their quest.
Also joining the Harmony Boys is Kelvin Ogunjimi. The guard, who played college ball at Robert Morris University, also has experience playing in Nigeria after having spent time with Civil Defenders. Ogunjimi's career has seen him play in Portugal, Spain and Armenia.
He was on hand to help them claim the Louis Edem tournament crown: "Blessed to add another championship to the resume.
"It's like the harder I work, the luckier I get," he said after the latest triumph, adding, "Job's not finished though. On to the BAL."
Last week, Kwara added three additional pieces to their roster. Jeremiah Mordi, Michael Kolawole, and all-time leader in blocked shots for George Mason in AJ Wilson were all picked up from the BAL Combine.
A team official, who did not want to be named, says they are not done signing players yet: "We are seriously working on it.
"We just have a few bottlenecks that we will resolve as soon as possible and then we will make an announcement."
Kwara Falcons open their BAL regular season campaign on March 12 against REG. The four top teams in the pool advance to the playoffs in Kigali, Rwanda, in May.