The team was founded with the priority of reaching the top-tier level league in the country, the Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB), which it eventually accomplished.

In the semifinals, the team faced Rio Claro again, but this time got the win, and qualified for the final, and consequently, for the Tournament Access/Descent to the NBB.

After qualifying for the NBB, the board of Macaé began a series of renewals of contracts of the major players of the club's NBB qualification run: the American point guard Jamaal Smith, the Argentine power forward Pablo Espinoza, the experienced center, Atilio de Mello, and the young talent João Phyllipe Bernardi.

In addition, the team began to invest heavily in signing other players with good contracts, with the intention of having a successful debut season in the NBB.

But the club's most important signing was undoubtedly that of shooting guard Duda Machado, who had been the sixth man of the Flamengo, the team that had just won the NBB championship.