Alab Pilipinas (under the corporate name Pilipinas Basketball Club, Inc. or PBCI) was a Filipino professional basketball team which played in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL). The team was owned and managed by the sports talent management firm, Virtual Playground, headed by talent agents Dondon Monteverde and Charlie Dy. Alab Pilipinas is the fourth Philippine team to play in the ABL. "Alab" is a Filipino word that translates as "blaze" in English.
From November 2017 to January 2018, it was known as Tanduay Alab Pilipinas, under the sponsorship of Tanduay Distillers; and from February 2018 onwards, it took on the name of San Miguel Alab Pilipinas after San Miguel Corporation took over as sponsor.
The team disbanded in 2020 after the ABL shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
History
Six of its original players are ABL veterans who had previously played for the Champion team San Miguel in the 2013 ABL season. The team staged their home games in venues located in Biñan, Laguna, Cebu, and Davao during the entire duration of their first season. They organized several basketball clinics together with the local government units as part of the basketball grassroots development program.
The team was sponsored by liquor brand Tanduay and played as Tanduay-Alab Pilipinas from November 2017 to January 2018. On February 1, 2018, San Miguel Corporation took over as the team's sponsor and was renamed San Miguel Alab Pilipinas. The sudden separation with Tanduay came about reportedly due to differences between the two parties in the handling of the team.
Head coaches Name Tenure Totals Regular season Playoffs Mac Cuan November 29, 2016 – March 26, 2017 22 11 11 20 11 9 2 0 2 November 19, 2017 – 2020 55 39 16 46 32 14 10 7 3 Totals 77 50 27 66 43 23 12 7 5
Notable players
Note: Players mentioned below are recipients of ABL awards or recognitions ONLY. +NameNationality Award(s)Renaldo BalkmanPuerto Rican2018: ABL Defensive Player of the Year 2018: ABL Champion Bobby Ray Parks Jr.Filipino American2017, 2018, 2019: 3x ABL Local MVP 2018: ABL Finals MVP 2018: ABL Champion Jason BrickmanFilipino American2016: ABL Finals MVP 2016: ABL Champion
Team results Season Team name Elimination round PlayoffsFinish W L PCT Stage Results2016–17 Alab Pilipinas 3rd/6 11 9 Semifinals Lost semifinals to Singapore Slingers, 0–22017–18 San Miguel Alab Pilipinas 3rd/9 14 6 Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals Won quarterfinals vs. Saigon Heat, 2–0 Won semifinals vs. Hong Kong Eastern, 2–0Won ABL finals vs. Mono Vampire, 3–22018–19 2nd/10 18 8 Quarterfinals Lost quarterfinals to Hong Kong Eastern, 0–22019–20 2nd/10 10 6 Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in AsiaTotal elimination round 53 29 2 semifinals appearancesTotal playoffs 7 6 1 finals appearanceTotal franchise 60 35 1 championship
Home arena
Unlike other teams in the ABL, Alab Pilipinas doesn't have a primary venue. Instead, it tours around the Philippines, mostly in the Mega Manila, with select games elsewhere.
The team hosted all but one of their 2018 ABL playoffs games at the Santa Rosa Multi-Purpose Complex in Santa Rosa, Laguna.
Final courts (used from 2018–19 ABL season until 2020) Caloocan Sports Complex, Caloocan Filoil Flying V Centre, San Juan Hoops Dome, Lapu-Lapu Lapu Lapu Sports Complex, Lapu-Lapu Santa Rosa Multi-Purpose Complex, Santa Rosa, Laguna (primary venue) Former Alonte Sports Arena, Biñan, Laguna Baliuag Star Arena, Baliuag, Bulacan Davao City Recreation Center, Davao City Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay Olivarez College Gym, Parañaque University of Southeastern Philippines Gym, Davao City Ynares Center, Antipolo, Rizal
See also San Miguel Beermen (ABL), basketball team owned by the San Miguel Corporation that played in the ABL.
References
External links ABL Page