Iloilo United Royals

Iloilo United Royals

Leagues Played
Philippines - MPBL 57
Links
Wikipedia

Wikipedia - Iloilo United Royals

The Iloilo United Royals are a Filipino professional basketball team based in the province of Iloilo. The team currently competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's South Division. They are one of three teams based in the Western Visayas region and play their home games at Passi City Arena in Passi.

The team joined the league in the 2019–20 season.

History

JJ Javelosa, who would later own the team, and basketball coach Nash Racela conceived of an idea for an Iloilo team in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) while playing golf. Racela brought in his co-coach Eric Gonzales to the nascent team. Javelosa, would have tapped his son Jay, who was then playing college basketball for the Ateneo Blue Eagles, while Racela would have recruited from his varsity FEU Tamaraws team. MPBL founder Manny Pacquiao approved of the plan, but was almost shelved when a sponsor backed out. The elder Javelosa eventually found new sponsors, and named the team the Iloilo United Royals.

In the Royals' inaugural season, the team qualified to the playoffs in its debut season, finishing 18–12, claiming the sixth seed in the South. In the First Round, the team was eliminated by the Basilan Steel in the South Division First Round.

In the 2021 MPBL Invitational, the team was drawn into Group A alongside the other Visayas teams – Bacolod and Negros – and finished second, placing them into the playoff tournament. The team would go on to lose to the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards in the Quarterfinals. Iloilo then opted out of the 2022 MPBL season, with Javelosa stating that they took a leave of absence as they were uncertain that the MPBL will hold a tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines.

The Royals were announced to be one of the teams returning to the MPBL in time for the 2023 season. Manu Inigo replaced Eric Gonzales as coach, with Cocolife as the principal sponsor.

Les Iloilo United Royals sont une équipe de basket-ball philippine basée à Iloilo. L'équipe a été créée en 2019 et évolue actuellement en Division 1 de la PBA D-League. Les United Royals sont dirigés par l'entraîneur principal Eric Altamirano et ont pour président de la franchise Andy Junsay.

L'équipe joue ses matchs à domicile au City Coliseum d'Iloilo. Les Iloilo United Royals ont connu une saison régulière réussie en 2020, terminant à la troisième place avec un bilan de 8-6. Ils se sont qualifiés pour les séries éliminatoires, mais ont été éliminés au premier tour par les Bacolod Master Sardines.

Les Iloilo United Royals sont une jeune équipe avec un noyau prometteur de joueurs. Ils sont dirigés par les gardiens Axel Iñigo et Jerome Lastimosa, ainsi que par les attaquants Cedrick Ablaza et Will McAloney. L'équipe a également ajouté de nouveaux joueurs pour la saison 2021, dont l'ancien joueur de la PBA D-League John Paul Calvo.

Les Iloilo United Royals sont une équipe montante de la PBA D-League. Ils disposent d'un bon mélange de jeunes talents et d'expérience, et ils devraient être compétitifs dans la saison 2021.