DOHA (Qatar) - It was not the finish they wanted, but BC Astana undeniably accomplished what they wanted to in the inaugural FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) Final 8.

Kazakhstan's most successful ball club was motivated to make a statement for being the "new guys" in the pan-regional competition's flagship event held in Dubai, and they surely did so by finishing third behind maiden champions Manama and Kuwait Club.

Early masterclass

Yes. BC Astana went really close in becoming the league's first champions, especially after showing so much promise of achieving as much as early as the Group Phase.

Then mentored by Coach Oleg Kiselev, the multiple-time Kazakhstan Basketball Championship titlists clinched the no. 1 seed in a stacked Group B with a clean 3-0 record.

Their unbeaten run began with an 80-73 victory over Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai, followed by another character-testing win against Shahrdary Gorgan by way of an 87-81 result.

But undeniably their biggest victory at that point was an 85-72 conquest of Kuwait Club, which dealt the Gulf League champions their first-ever loss in FIBA WASL after winning their first 12 matches - including a 10-game sweep of their sub-zone en route to the title.

Can they do it this time?

It was just unfortunate, though, that the team - which was one of the Final 8's best 3-point shooters with a 36.6-percent accuracy - couldn't surpass the test that was Manama in the knockout Semi-Finals, bowing to the eventual kings by way of a 91-81 result.

Still, they made sure to secure a podium finish by beating Al Riyadi in the Third-Place Game in a thrilling encounter, 94-90, behind the quartet of Dmitriy Gavrilov, Karvel Anderson, Markell Johnson, and Martin Krampelj, all of which were key in their Final 8 campaign.

That high of a finish in FIBA WASL further added to the lore of BC Astana, who, aside from many domestic crowns, boasts of a bronze finish in the prestigious FIBA Asia Champions Cup, which has been recently rebranded as the Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia).

The club is set for another run in this year's Final 8, earning the right to represent Central Asia once more after ruling the 2023 edition of their pro league back home.

With that, one question arises: Can they do it this time? 

BC Astana, now with a new coach in Fotis Takianos manning the sidelines, find themselves in another tough pool for the May 25-June 1 slugfest at the Lusail Sports Hall. They're in Group A with Manama, reigning two-time West Asia champions Al Riyadi, and Sagesse SC.

So, that makes it two familiar foes standing in their way so early in the competition, with a match against the Yellow Castle serving as their opening assignment on the 26th. followed by another meeting with the defending FIBA WASL champs the very next night.

It's all for us to find out.

FIBA