JOHANNESBURG (South Africa) - The Elite 16 Road to BAL East Division qualifiers taking place at the Ellis Park Events Area (22-27 November) in Johannesburg will see some of the best clubs from East and Southern Africa regions compete for the last three spots at next year's Basketball Africa League (BAL).

In the build-up to the highly-anticipated East Division, here are things you need to know about host Cape Town Tigers..

TEAM: Cape Town Tigers

History in FIBA Africa/ BAL: The Tigers are one of the youngest teams on the African continent and they have made their mark in their first year of existence by qualifying for the second edition of the BAL in 2022.

The South African club have all the necessary playing personnel to qualify for next year's competition, but they will face some challenges.

BEST RESULT IN FIBA AFRICA/BAL: In their debut season, the Tigers were third in a tough Group A containing inaugural season winners Zamalek of Egypt and this year's finalists Petro de Luanda of Angola. The Tigers' journey was ended by eventual champions US Monastir of Tunisia in the Quarter-finals last May in Kigali.

HOW THEY QUALIFIED FOR THE ELITE 16: The Tigers received a bye as one of the teams that had participated in the 2022 BAL season. 

STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: The Tigers are a good attacking team, but when chasing the game, they tend to resort to individualistic play. Apart from a few friendlies, the Tigers rely on scrimmages to be a match-ready. A situation which could count against them.

KEY PLAYERS: RaphiaEl Putney has been one of the stand-out players for the Tigers since his arrival.

The 2.08m (6ft10in) American forward knows how to get to the rim through the dribble or posting up on his defender. Team captain Pieter Prinsloo is more of an action-orientated leader. He is a player who is not afraid to put his body on the line, and on his day, he can light up the scoreboard.

Evans Ganapamo and Pieter Prinsloo

Evans Ganapamo is another key player for the Tigers. The Central African Republic shooting guard is a lethal scoring weapon, from the three-point line and inside the paint.

HEAD COACH: Florsheim Ngwenya is an experienced coach at the international level. He led the South African national men's team to two FIBA AfroBasket tournaments in 2009 (Libya) and 2011 (Madagascar).

He has also enjoyed success with South Africa's Egoli Magic, who won multiple Basketball National League titles under his guidance.

OUTLOOK: The Tigers will count on home-court advantage, but they have had a taste of continental basketball and will be hungry for another appearance at the BAL. They will most likely finish among the top three in the competition.

FIBA