Pyrobel Killester have had their fair share of heartaches but in the last couple of years, everything's been coming up Milhouse on the big days.
Last year, the Dublin club won the Paudie O'Connor Cup and then three weeks ago they ended a 44-year wait for a league title triumph by beating FloMAX Liffey Celtic in the winner-takes-all decider.
This Sunday, they will be back at the National Basketball Arena once again to vie for further glory in the MissQuote.ie Champions Trophy final against SETU Waterford Wildcats, while their men's team will also be in final action later that evening.
So the trophy cabinet could well be heaving if all goes well for Killester but their captain Michelle Clarke has been getting used to handling silverware and is following a long-held family tradition of success and dedication in the sport.
Indeed, when the Ireland international was being handed the league trophy on 23 March, it was her aunt Breda Dick who did the honours, a poignant moment that had a direct connection to the Killester women's team that had last hoisted the crown back in 1980.
"My auntie Breda, I didn't realise until afterwards but she was actually the captain of the last winning team 44 years ago so it was a really special moment to have her of all people presenting it," Clarke tells RTÉ Sport.
"She did try to get my mam out of the crowd who was also on the team with her but my mam is not one to get in front of big crowds unless she's playing herself. It was a really special day for the family and for the club. I think I had over 20 family members either on the sidelines with me or in the crowd."
As that anecdote clearly underlines, when it comes to basketball and specifically Killester, the branches of Clarke's family tree reach into every nook and cranny of the court.
On the upper branches, her aforementioned mother was an inaugural member of the club founded in 1967 by Fr Mick Casey - who still attends games to this day and will be there on Sunday - along with seven of Clarke's aunts and uncles, the majority of whom still remain heavily involved with Killester.
Further down the tree, cousin Mark Grennell is the women's senior head coach and another younger cousin Leilani, who is the daughter of one of Killester's American pros of yesteryear, Jermaine Turner, is also part of the team.
Another team-mate Mimi Troy is married to another of Clarke's cousins and that's not to mention a number of other family connections involved on the men's side of the club, including her brother Robbie.
Needless to say, basketball conversation tends to bounce around the dinner table and larger family get-togethers - unsurprisingly courtside being the most regular venue - especially on a big finals week like this one, in a way that is unique as was recently pointed out during a car journey.
"During the cup semi-finals we were heading out that night and I was in the car with my cousin Johnny, the men's coach, and his wife," Clarke laughs.
"She's a doctor, has her own practice in Wicklow but she brought to our attention how weird our family is and I was like, 'What do you mean?'
"She was like, 'It's not normal how much you all get along and how much you see each other and how you all have something in common. It's really cool but it's really weird'.
"And I was like, 'I don't know anything else!' So I thought that was really funny to see an outsider's perspective who's joined us and what their take is.
"She obviously didn't grow up with it but she definitely enjoys being a part of it."
By the way, if you're struggling to keep track of all the family connections, you're not the only ones. Clarke herself has been trying to put a clearer picture on how far the tree branches and roots extend.
"I actually, believe it or not, did try to create a family tree a few months ago because we had a night out, two of the Super League teams, and Farouq (Raheem) from our men's team, he grabbed a piece of paper and he said, 'We're sitting down and we're drawing out your family tree so I can get a picture of everyone,'" says Clarke.
"And then I was thinking about it and I was like, 'Why don't we have a family tree?' It's such a big family and we're lucky to be so close to one another."
And that unbreakable bond could be a factor as Killester's development comes to a boil nicely ahead of Sunday's battle with Waterford Wildcats.
"I've been a part of the Super League since I was 14 or 15 so that's 14 or 15 years ago. It's been a long time of us being in development," says Clarke.
"It felt like we were never going to get out of development. So since the 2019-20 season where we won our first Paudie O'Connor National Cup to where we are now, it's nice coming into our peak and enjoying all the hard work throughout the years.
"We've had a few of the girls that have been through thick and thin who have stuck around. Our sponsor Pyrobel has been with us when we weren't so great and now that we are at the peak of our performances, it means so much.
"Anyone could have easily given up and said, 'Look, it's just not worth it, we're not seeing the fruits of our labour'. But it makes it all the sweeter now that we have stuck around and we're doing it with such a nice group."
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