I think that contrary to all they hailed from South Italy and or Sicily,this can explain their "ancient" Latin loanwords us they say and the old Greek,since Greeks had colonies there,plus Albanian has matching with Messapian which was exactly from there,they match in genetics more there,then with the Balkan people.
Italian theory
Laonikos Chalkokondyles (c. 1423–1490), the Byzantine historian, thought that the Albanians hailed from Italy. The theory has its origin in the first mention of the Albanians, disputed whether it refers to Albanians in an ethnic sense,made by Attaliates (11th century): "... For when subsequent commanders made base and shameful plans and decisions, not only was the island lost to Byzantium, but also the greater part of the army. Unfortunately, the people who had once been our allies and who possessed the same rights as citizens and the same religion, i.e. the Albanians and the Latins, who live in the Italian regions of our Empire beyond Western Rome, quite suddenly became enemies when Michael Dokenianos insanely directed his command against their leaders..
The time they are mentioned first there was very much religious wars troughout the Balkans and competition among Byzantines,Latins and various other Slavic polities,how they ended i don't know.