Hiroshima Dragonflies claim ticket to BCL Asia after stunning B.League title win

YOKOHAMA (Japan) - The Hiroshima Dragonflies confirm their spot at the Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia) 2024 after winning the B.LEAGUE 2023-2024 Finals.

The Hiroshima-based club will be making their debut in FIBA Asia's flagship club competition and will be the second B.LEAGUE team to play in BCL Asia, which was rebranded from the FIBA Asia Champions Cup.

The Dragonflies won the decisive Game 3 of the Finals, 65-50, against the Ryukyu Golden Kings, champions from the previous season. They lost the first game of the series 74-62, but battled their way back into the series with a 72-63 win in Game 2.

The victory clinched the barely decade-old club an impressive first B.LEAGUE title in just their second appearance in the playoffs.

The club was founded in 2013 and has been playing in the B.LEAGUE since 2016. They started playing in B2 and succeeded in gaining promotion in 2020. The Dragonflies made their first Playoffs berth in the 2022-2023 season after a 41-18 season in the Western Conference, losing to the Chiba Jets in the Quarter-Finals. They clinched their Wild Card spot in the playoffs this season with a 36-24 record before making the run to win the championship.

The Dragonflies were considered underdogs going into the playoffs, especially as they were missing the services of their star guard Ryo Terashima due to an injury. However, the team has stuck together and played well, especially the trio of Dwayne Evans, Kerry Blackshear, and Nick Mayo. Still, the Dragonflies have overcome the odds to claim their spot among Asia's best clubs in BCL Asia and they can potentially surprise many more fans when the games begin.

The inaugural BCL Asia 2024 will be played from June 9-15. It was announced to be hosted in Dubai, UAE after an agreement between FIBA Regional Office - Asia and Shabab Al Ahli Dubai. The Liaoning Flying Leopards have confirmed their spot in the playing field after being crowned champions of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) this season.

FIBA