The road to the title will not be easy when Strong Group Athletics competes in the 34th Dubai International Basketball Association from 24 January to 2 February.

West Asian powerhouse Al Riyadi Club Beirut, for one, will be making a return to defend its title together with contenders United Arab Emirates (UAE) national team and the Sagesse Sports Club in the prestigious invitational tourney.

Al Riyadi is not a pushover.

The Lebanese club is a three-time Asian champion that also represented the continent in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup last September in Singapore.

Although superstar Wael Arakji didn’t see action, the 31-time Lebanese champion still paraded a solid crew composed of national team players Amir Saoud, Karim Zeinoun, Ali Mansour and Hayk Gyokchyan, who competed in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Spain last July.

The do-it-all Arakji, who begged off from the Intercontinental Cup due to the birth of his first child, is expected to suit up to help Al Riyadi regain the crown.

‘Kudos and a big thank you to Boss Jacob and Boss Frank for making the hiring of DeMarcus Cousins possible.’

The UAE national squad and Beirut-based Sagesse Sports Club are also expected to give Strong Group a serious fight.

Although basketball is not the top sport in the oil-rich state, the Emiratis are still expected to be threats as they enjoy a homecourt advantage.

With serious competition in the offing, Mighty Sports is tipped to leave no stone unturned in assembling a rock-solid team.

The Filipino club owned by distinguished businessman Frank Lao already has its cornerstone when it hired four-time National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star DeMarcus Cousins over the weekend.

Strong Group head coach Charles Tiu said they are still in the middle of negotiating with other players but expect the roster to be sprinkled with former NBA standouts like Lance Stephenson, Dwight Howard, and John Wall.

After all, they are out to gain revenge following a heartbreaking loss to Al Riyadi Beirut in the final last year.

“We’ve even been discussing personnel matters already,” said Tiu, who has been burning the phone lines with team manager Jacob Lao just to secure the services of the best talent available.

“Kudos and a big thank you to Boss Jacob and Boss Frank for making the hiring of DeMarcus Cousins possible. I’m excited for us to have another great star on our team.”