Rizal Golden Coolers

This article is about the men's basketball team. For its women's volleyball counterpart, see Rizal Golden Coolers (volleyball).

Rizal Golden Coolers
2024 Rizal Golden Coolers season
League	MPBL
Founded	2018;6 years ago (2018)
History	Rizal Crusaders 2018–2019 Rizal Golden Coolers 2019–present
Arena	Ynares Center One Arena
Location	Rizal
Team colors
Main sponsor	PTC Foodsphere Asia Corp. AMRC Holdings Company, Inc. EMKAI Non-Specialized Wholesale Trading
Head coach	Ralph Rivera

The Rizal Golden Coolers, also known as the Rizal Xentromall Golden Coolers for sponsorship reasons, are a Filipino professional basketball team based in the province of Rizal. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North Division. They are one of five teams based in the Calabarzon region and play their home games at Ynares Center in Antipolo.

The team began play during the 2018–19 season as the Rizal Crusaders. Team ownership said that the name was chosen as the province of Rizal is known for "crusades, mountaineering, and other stuff". Originally, the team was going to be called the Rizal Ankle Breakers, but was changed due to criticism that the name didn't have any relation to the province of Rizal. ^{[1] [2]}

In 2023, a volleyball team of the same name began play as one of eight charter teams in the Maharlika Pilipinas Volleyball Association's (MPVA) inaugural season.

History

Rizal struggled during its first two seasons, ending up with the worst record of the division in both instances. In the 2018–19 season, the team finished 7-18, last place in the Southern Division. In the 2019–20 season, the team finished 7-22, last place in the Northern Division.

Despite struggling in the 2021 Invitational, with a record of 1-4, the team rose up in the 2022 season. The Golden Coolers finished the season 10-11, earning a playoff appearance for the first time. As the sixth seed, they upset the third-seed Sarangani in the First Round, but would go on to be swept by Batangas City in the Division Semifinals,

Home arenas

The Rizal-based team's main arena is the Ynares Center, located in Antipolo. In 2023, the team played its first game outside Anitpolo, heading to Cainta to play at One Arena.

Current roster

Rizal Golden Coolers roster v t e
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From G/F – Agovida, Keith 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1990–02–14 Arellano G – Alday, Alwin 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) F – Alonzo, Chad  (HG) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 1983–07–29 Adamson F – Apacible, John 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 1996–02–07 UE G – Argente, Shawn  (HG, SGL) 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) José Rizal F – Balagtas, Marco 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) G – Casiño, JK 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) – Cruz, Kyle  (HG) – Davis, Kobi  (HG) OLFU – Dela Cruz, Charles OLFU – Jimenez, Marvel OLFU C – Lao, Edrian 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 1988–02–25 Visayas F – Lozada, Janus 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) F – Mancao, Jason Vincent 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) – Pastrana, Shaq OLFU G – Pingoy, Jerie 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1994–12–19 Adamson G – Timajo, Deo 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) G/F – Villoria, Kraniel 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 1995–07–14 Arellano	Head coach Ralph Rivera Legend (HG) Homegrown (FF) Filipino-foreigner (SGL) Special Guest Licensee Injured Roster – via Genius Sports Updated as of: March 15, 2024

Head coaches

#	Name	Term	Ref.
1	Braulio Lim Jr.	2018–19
2	Jayvee Gayoso	2019–20
3	Rodney Santos	2021
4	Jonathan Banal	2022–2023
5	Ralph Emerson Rivera	2024

Notable players

Rizal Golden Coolers notable players
Player	Position	Tenure	Awards	All-Star
Marco Balagtas		2018–2019 2024–present	—	1 (2019)
Mark Benitez		2018–2022	—	1 (2020)
Jboy Gob		2022–2023	—	1 (2023)
Troy Mallillin		2022–2023	—	2 (2022, 2023)

Season-by-season records

	League champions
	Division champions
	Qualified for playoffs
	Best regular season record

Season	Regular season					Playoffs
	Division	Finish	W	L	PCT	Stage	Results
Rizal Crusaders
2018–19 Datu Cup	South	13th	7	18	.280	Did not qualify
Rizal Golden Coolers
2019–20 Lakan Season	North	16th	6	23	.207	Did not qualify
2022	South	6th	10	11	.476	First Round Division Semifinals	won vs. Sarangani, 2–0 lost vs. Batangas City, 0–2
2023	North	10th	12	16	.429	Did not qualify
2024	North	To be determined
All-time regular season record			35	68	.340	1 playoff appearance
All-time playoff record			2	2	.500	0 Finals appearances
All-time overall record			37	70	.346	0 championships

References

1. Joble, Rey. "Rizal Ankle Breakers ready to make their mark in MPBL". FoxSports. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
2. Joble, Rey (10 June 2018). "Team Rizal planning to change moniker for MPBL season". Fox Sports. Retrieved 10 June 2018.