If there is one thing that Nigeria's Rivers Hoopers are clear about going into the 2025 Basketball Africa League season, it is that they want to surpass their performance from 2024, where they finished in third place.
As a team, that conviction is a clear theme that runs through everything, from the additions they have made to the roster, through the practices and the mental preparation that they have taken to Morocco for the of the Kalahari Conference at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex.
To do so, the team will have to get through the group phase where they have been drawn against Egypt's Al Ittihad, Mali's Stade Malien, and home team FUS Rabat.
Hoopers coach Ogoh Odaudu acknowledges that while their ultimate goal remains to reach the Final of the tournament, the immediate focus is on what lies in front of them: "Every tournament is just like an examination.
"You want to do better than the previous one. We came third last year, but we do not want to jump too far ahead of ourselves. Our goal right now is to qualify from Morocco to the finals in South Africa, and then afterwards we can dream of something else.
"But right now we're not thinking that far ahead, we want to be one of the two teams to qualify for South Africa at the end of the Kalahari Conference."
Part of accomplishing those objectives was to fortify the team with players who have extensive experience, both in the BAL itself and elsewhere, and to integrate those overseas players with local stars.
They have picked up some real quality, led by the returning Kelvin Amayo and Peter Olisemeka, who helped them win the Nigerian title last year.
This year, they will not have the services of Will Perry, whose tireless play on both ends of the floor helped them make a deep run. They will also miss Devine Eke and the experience of John Wilkins. All three were leading performers last season.
But the replacements are no slouches, either. They have acquired point guard Maxi Shemba of the Congo DR, forwards Madut Akec from South Sudan and Raphael Putney from the USA, as well as BAL Elevate youngster David Ugonna, who was part of the team from season four.
Odaudu believes the Hoopers are an even better team with these replacements: "It's a quite different team.
"We have a new point guard in Maxi, we have Putney who's almost 7-foot tall and can shoot the lights out of every court. We also have Madut, who I think is an upgrade of what we had last year.
"So I think the team is good to go. I am not one to single out players, I'm a team player, and the whole team is equally important for what we hope to achieve."
That whole-team mentality is reinforced by Amayo, who insists that despite the presence of the imports, the key to their ambitions will be the home-grown talent.
"They learnt a lot from last time," the Canadian told ESPN. "Now, they are more confident and more aware of what their roles are and how they can contribute to the team success, no matter how many minutes they get.
"I played with them in the league last year and I could see that they were much better than when we played the BAL. So I believe we will be counting on them to bring us something, things like those intangibles that help you win a championship."
On the floor is not the only place Hoopers are showing quality, according to Amayo: "Coach Ogoh for me is one of the best coaches on the continent.
"Definitely, for me he is number one. That's why he got BAL Coach of the Year last season. And then this year, you can just tell, his sureness of certain things, his understanding, it's a different level."
That level has not stopped the coach from leaning on one of his most experienced and important players. Amayo says that is what makes him extra special: "He's coming to me talking, asking, 'what do you see?'
"Obviously, we had that chemistry already even from the last BAL, but it's a little bit more sharper. I will run through a brick wall for him, I have no doubt he is the number one coach in Africa."
Odaudu himself acknowledged the level of difficulty posed by the other teams and stressed how his wards will have to stay locked in for the duration of group play.
He said: "It's really difficult, right from qualifying from Nigeria. Everybody knows our name in Africa, so it's going to be twice as difficult as it was last season. Nobody's going to underrate us anymore. They know what we can do.
"We drew a huge target on our back last season and people will be aiming for us even more now. But we're just going to play our basketball and hopefully at the end of the day, qualify for the playoffs."
Those playoffs will take place in South Africa, where eight teams from the three Conferences will converge for the championship games.
The BAL will air on ESPN channels in Africa.