The Batangas Blades (or the LBC-Batangas Blades) were a professional basketball team of the now-defunct
Metropolitan Basketball Association
The Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA), or Metroball, was a professional basketball league in the Philippines that ran from March 7, 1998, to July 26, 2002.
History
The MBA played its first game on March 7, 1998, at the Don Narciso Ramos ...
from 1998 to 2002.
Its moniker was taken from the province's popularity in making Balisong (a Filipino-made knife). It also played for a short time in the
Philippine Basketball League
The Philippine Basketball League (PBL) was a commercial semi-professional basketball league in the Philippines. The league was composed of several commercial teams with several collegiate and provincial stars.
History
The PBL was formed on Ma ...
after the MBA folded in 2002.
The team played its home games at the
De La Salle Lipa
De La Salle Lipa, also known by its acronym DLSL, is a private Catholic Lasallian basic and higher educational institution run by the De La Salle Brothers of the Philippine District Of the Christian Brothers in Lipa City, Batangas, Philippines a ...
SENTRUM from 1998 to 2001 and at the Lipa City Convention Center in 2002. The PBL version of the Blades also played a number of games at both venues. To compensate the loss of the
Manila Metrostars
The Manila Metrostars were a professional basketball team in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998 to 2001. The team was the 1999 MBA National Champions and holds the MBA record of winning 22 consecutive games during the sa ...
after both clubs' merger, the Blades played a few home games in Manila's Mail and More Sports Complex (now San Andres Gym).
History
Metropolitan Basketball Association
1998-2000
In 1998, the Metropolitan Basketball Association was formed as a regional-based professional league which also challenged the commercial
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...
. The Blades were paraded in their first season by former
Adamson Falcons players Eddie Laure, Dennis Madrid, former
La Salle Green Archer and part-time comedian Maui Roca and
Jeff Sanders
Jeffery Raynard Sanders (born January 14, 1966) is an American retired professional basketball player who was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round (20th pick overall) of the 1989 NBA draft. Sanders played for the Bulls, Charlotte Horne ...
. The Blades were owned by delivery giant LBC of Santi Araneta.
Laure became the Blades' star player but the team had a disappointing 10-12 win-loss slate despite a late push for the playoffs. Despite Ralph Rivera and Fil-Am Stephen Antonio's arrival in 1999, the Blades went 12-18 and lost in three games to the
San Juan Knights
The San Juan Kings, previously known as the San Juan Knights, are a professional basketball team representing San Juan, Metro Manila. They played in the Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) from 1999 to 2001, the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketba ...
in the Northern Conference Wild-Card series.
In 2000, Batangas missed the playoffs with a 12-14 record.
2001-2002: Batangas-Manila merger
In 2001, the Blades and the 1999 MBA National Champion
Manila Metrostars
The Manila Metrostars were a professional basketball team in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998 to 2001. The team was the 1999 MBA National Champions and holds the MBA record of winning 22 consecutive games during the sa ...
were merged into a single team, retaining the Batangas Blades name. With the merger, the team became a stronger squad with Eddie Laure, Jeffrey Sanders and Metrostar superstars 2000 MBA MVP
Rommel Adducul
Rommel Adducul (born April 21, 1976) is a Filipino former professional basketball player who currently serves as an assistant coach for the Adamson Soaring Falcons of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, UAAP.
Career
In colleg ...
and
Alex Compton
Alexander M. Compton (born March 16, 1974) is a Filipino-born American retired basketball player and coach. He also served as the head coach of the Alaska Aces of the Philippine Basketball Association.
Early life and college career
Born in Mak ...
. They also added LBC to its team name, making it the LBC-Batangas Blades.
The Blades became the team to beat in the Northern Conference, compiling an 11–3 win–loss record in the first phase of the MBA season, but lost to the Andok's-San Juan Knights in the playoffs. During the second phase of the tournament, which was for the MBA National Championship, the Blades recorded another 11-3 record but this time edged the Knights 3-1 in the Northern Finals to enter their first finals appearance in history. The Blades defeated the
Negros Slashers
The Negros Slashers also known as the RCPI-Negros Slashers were a professional basketball team in the Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998 to 2002. The team enjoyed considerable success, winning the MBA National Championship in 2002, the ...
, 3-1 to win their first MBA national title. Laure was named as the MVP of the 2001 season.
In the 2002 season, Batangas lost Adducul to the returning
Pangasinan Waves
Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan ( pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Pangasinan, ; ilo, Probinsia ti Pangasinan; tl, Lalawigan ng Pangasinan), is a coastal Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Ilo ...
but made its return trip to the finals after scoring a huge upset over the top team in the North, the
Olongapo Volunteers
The Olongapo Volunteers were a professional basketball team in the Metropolitan Basketball Association
The Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA), or Metroball, was a professional basketball league in the Philippines that ran from March 7, 1 ...
, in a one-game match for the finals spot. The Blades then lost to the Slashers via a three-game sweep in the First Conference of the season. The MBA National tournament was played but was later discounted due to the folding of the MBA.
Philippine Basketball League
After the closure of the MBA, Batangas joined the amateur commercial league Philippine Basketball League. The team had Alex Compton and Jeff Sanders, but did not have the old Blades squad they had in the MBA as Laure played for the
Welcoat Paintmasters. Instead, the team added some amateur players on their squad such as
St. Benilde Blazers
The College of Saint Benilde Blazers are the NCAA senior varsity team of De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde.
The Blazers were formerly a member National Capital Region Athletic Association (NCRAA) before they applied and were admitted to th ...
tandem of Al Magpayo and Ronald Capati and
NU Bulldog Froilan Baguion. The team did retain the LBC-Batangas Blades name as the team placed fourth in the 2002 PBL Challenge Cup. In the 2003 PBL Unity Cup, the Blades did not make it to the semifinals, as the team disbanded for good.
Uniforms
In 1998, the Blades was the first game uniform design the colors were red, black and white it also contains the Blades logo with LBC script logo in the left during the first season. In 1999, the Blades was another replaced by the Blades script logo. By 2000 season the Blades was the road uniform it was color black, it was Batangas with LBC logo in the lower until early 2001. In 2001, the Blades was contains the LBC logo with the logo in the left until moves to the PBL in 2003.
Home Arenas
*Sentrum (1998-2001)
*Lipa City Convention Center (2002-2003)
1999 Roster
Other notable players
*
Rommel Adducul
Rommel Adducul (born April 21, 1976) is a Filipino former professional basketball player who currently serves as an assistant coach for the Adamson Soaring Falcons of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, UAAP.
Career
In colleg ...
*Oliver Agapito
*Stephen Antonio
*Rudolf Belmonte
*
Alex Compton
Alexander M. Compton (born March 16, 1974) is a Filipino-born American retired basketball player and coach. He also served as the head coach of the Alaska Aces of the Philippine Basketball Association.
Early life and college career
Born in Mak ...
*Chris Corbin
*Jayson Cuevas
*Rommel David
*Jonjit Duremdes
*Tony Boy Espinosa
*Peter Martin
*Henry Ong
*Jonathan "Chu-Chu" Serrano
References
{{reflist
Metropolitan Basketball Association teams
Former Philippine Basketball League teams
Basketball teams established in 1998
Basketball teams disestablished in 2003
Sports in Batangas
Batangas