The Arellano Chiefs basketball program represents Arellano University in men's basketball as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines) (NCAA). Originally the Arellano Flaming Arrows, the Arellano Chiefs have previously played in the National Capital Region Athletic Association (NCRAA), winning two consecutive championships from 2007 and 2008. The Chiefs transferred to the NCAA in 2010, and have qualified to two Finals appearances, in 2014 and 2016, losing each time to the defending champions San Beda Red Lions.
History
Beginnings The Arellano Flaming Arrows won the Basketball Association of the Philippines-organized National Student's Championship in the 1970s. The Flaming Arrows, coached by Cholo Martin and led by Joey Loyzaga, defeated the De La Salle Green Archers in the 1983 National Intercollegiate Championship. In 2006, the Flaming Arrows were named into the Chiefs, in honor of Cayetano Arellano, the first Chief Justice of the Philippines and university's namesake.
NCRAA stint In 2006, the Chiefs lost out to the St. Francis Doves in the NCRAA Finals. On the next year, they defeated the EAC Generals to win their first NCRAA title off the heroics of Gio Ciriacruz. The Chiefs then defeated the Doves in the next season's Finals.
In the 2009 campaign they were defeated by the Universal College Golden Dragons in the finals. Arellano sought to enter the NCAA in time for the 2009–10 season, but the association deferred in accepting new members. The NCAA instead invited three schools, including Arellano as guest teams.
Entry to the NCAA The Chiefs ended up with the best record among the three guest teams. In 2014, led by Jio Jalalon and coach Jerry Codiñera, the Chiefs qualified to its first Finals appearance. They were swept by the four-time defending champions San Beda Red Lions. On the next year, the Chiefs missed the Final Four, but returned to the Finals in 2016. In a rematch of the 2014 Finals, the Chiefs were again swept by San Beda. Two years later, the Chiefs struggled on the floor and had a losing season. Codiñera resigned and replaced by Junjie Ablan.
On the next campaign the university rehired Cholo Martin as its new coach. Martin's best season came in the 2021 bubble season played in early 2022, where they were eliminated in the play-in tournament by the Perpetual Altas. The Chiefs missed the playoffs in 2022; Martin was fired and was replaced by Chico Manabat. By his third season as head coach, the Chiefs posted their first winning record since Season 93 with a 7-6 record, a 2nd place finish in group A and a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals against the Letran Knights but lost both games.
Current roster CHIEFS NCAA Season 102
BRAVES NCAA Season 102
Head coaches c. 1983: Loreto Carbonell 1980s: Cholo Martin 2010–2011: Leo Isaac 2011: Junjie Ablan 2012–13: Koy Banal 2013–18: Jerry Codiñera 2018: Junjie Ablan (interim) 2018–2022: Cholo Martin 2023–present: Chico Manabat
Season-by-season records SeasonLeagueElimination roundPlayoffsPosGPWLPCTGBGPWLResults2004–05NCRAA2005–06NCRAALost Finals vs St. Francis2006–07NCRAA2nd1073.7002330Won Finals vs EAC2007–08NCRAAWon Finals vs St. Francis2008–09NCRAALost Finals vs UCN2009NCAA5th/1018810.4448Did not qualify2010NCAA6th/916610.37510Did not qualify2011NCAA7th/1018612.33310Did not qualify2012NCAA8th/1018612.3339Did not qualify2013NCAA6th/1018810.4447Did not qualify2014NCAA2nd/1018135.722—413Lost Finals vs San Beda2015NCAA5th/1018126.6671101Lost 4th seed playoff vs Mapua2016NCAA2nd/1018144.778—413Lost Finals vs San Beda2017NCAA6th/101899.5009101Lost 4th seed playoff round 1 vs Letran2018NCAA8th/1018513.27812Did not qualify2019NCAA10th/1018414.22214Did not qualify2020NCAASeason canceled2021NCAA6th/10945.4445101Lost qualifying playoff vs Perpetual2022NCAA7th/1018711.3897Did not qualify2023NCAA10th/1018216.11113Did not qualify2024NCAA7th/1018711.3898Did not qualify2025NCAA1st/51376.538—202Lost quarterfinals vs LetranNCRAA totals—2 championshipsNCAA totals272118154.434—132112 playoffs appearances
Honors
Team honors National Intercollegiate Championship Champions (1): 1983 National Capital Region Athletic Association Champions (2): 2006, 2007
Player honors NCAA Rookie of the Year Dioncee Holts: 2014 Justin Arana: 2019 Cade Flores: 2022 NCAA Defensive Player of the Year Justin Arana (2): 2019, 2021 Cade Flores (1): 2022 NCAA Most Improved Player Jio Jalalon (1): 2014 Archie Concepcion (1): 2018 Lorenz Capulong (1): 2022 Renzo Abiera (1): 2025
References