18-576: The Manila Batang Sampaloc , officially referred to as Manila SV Batang Sampaloc SGA , are a Filipino professional basketball team based in the Manila district of Sampaloc . The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North Division . They are the lone representative of Metro Manila 's Capital District and play their home games at San Andres Sports Complex in
36-716: Is an organization which sponsors basketball and volleyball teams in the Philippines . The Strong Group was founded by Filipino businessman Frank Lao. They build its own basketball team which has competed in the Dubai International Basketball Championship in the United Arab Emirates . They debuted in the 2023 edition, with Mighty Sports and Acto City sponsoring their stint. Strong Group, coached by Charles Tiu, finished as quarterfinalists. In 2023, they became
54-683: The 2020 playoffs . The team first beat Pasig in the First Round, but feel short in the Division Semifinals against Makati . Once again, Manila won game 1, yet Makati won the rest of the series. Dionisio became a two-time all-star while he and Bitoon both made the All-MPBL Second Team . For the 2021 Invitational , Manila tapped Cholo Villanueva as their head coach, but only finished third in Group D, failing to make
72-664: The Basilan Peace Riders and Davao Occidental Tigers , the latter of which became the inaugural champions. The second Pro Division tournament then came later that year with the DUMPER Cup , which saw sixteen teams compete. It was eventually won by the Pampanga G Lanterns , after defeating the defending champion Tigers. In mid-2023, PSL underwent new management changes with the entry of new president Cris Bautista and league commissioner Allan Caidic . After they left
90-517: The Manila SV Batang Sampaloc SGA . Their 2024 campaign is noted for their acquisition of four-time PBA champion Greg Slaughter among other ex-PBA players. With their new acquisitions, the team finished the season 20–8 for their best output since 2020 and once again claiming a top-4 position. Slaughter and Rabeh Al-Hussaini were declared all-stars in the 2024 MPBL All-Star Game . However, despite that, Manila fell short in
108-727: The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas . The PSL is set for the PSL Ballout Invitational Tournament which will begin in December 2024. In the current format, all participating teams first play in a single round-robin tournament , wherein every team is expected to play one game against each of the other teams. In 2022, the PSL used a double round-robin format. Qualified teams then advance to the playoffs, which mostly involves best-of-three series , with
126-555: The PSL, the former management went on creating another basketball league, Sinag Liga Asya . The new management went on to start the third Pro Division tournament, the President's Cup . The President's Cup is the league's biggest to date, with 19 competing teams, eventually concluding with the Quezon Titans being crowned the champions. On May 8, 2024, the PSL became a stakeholder in the country's national basketball federation,
144-573: The Strong Group: Koponang Lakan ng Bulacan The Pilipinas Super League (PSL) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines . The Pilipinas Super League (PSL) was founded in December 2021 by former officials of another league; the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup , namely its former CEO Rocky Chan and former COO Chelito Caro. Chan assumed the post of PSL president and Caro as
162-673: The conference, Manila tied with Boracay and Bulacan for seventh. The team managed to settle for eighth but lost to the San Juan Kings in the quarterfinals. The original Stars name can be traced back to the Manila Metrostars of the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association . The team's logos until 2023 featured silhouettes of some of Manila's historic landmarks, such as the Rizal Monument and Manila Cathedral . Manila's color scheme has always used blue as
180-649: The district of Malate . The team was founded as an expansion team for the 2018–19 MPBL season as the Manila Stars . The team also competed in the Pilipinas Super League since 2022 under the name Manila CityStars . The nation's capital joined the MPBL for the 2018–19 season , and in its first season, made an instant impact. Led by the duo of Chris Bitoon and Aris Dionisio , the team finished 20–5, tying with San Juan and Davao Occidental for
198-607: The league commissioner. Former professional basketballer Marc Pingris was appointed as commissioner in January 2022, succeeding Caro. There are also under-21 and under-18 divisions. The league then subsequently held its first Pro Division tournament: the Pearl of the Orient Cup , which saw eight teams compete in venues across Mindanao . Among the teams were two that moved from the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL):
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#1732801247478216-616: The league's third-best record, as the Stars clinch the fourth seed in the 2019 playoffs . After getting past Caloocan in the First Round, they met with the league-leading Bataan Risers in the North Division Semifinals. Although Bataan won game 1, Manila pushed through the next two games to finish the upset and advance to the North Division Finals against San Juan. The series went in a similar way but in
234-696: The new main sponsor of the UE Lady Red Warriors volleyball team in the UAAP, acquiring six new recruited players and appointing Jerry Yee as the new head coach of the Lady Warriors. The Strong Group also helped Premier Volleyball League club Quezon City Gerflor Defenders resolved its player salary issue which was first reported in November 2023, during the 2023 Second All-Filipino Conference . Gerflor would be effectively disbanded after
252-598: The opposite manner, as Manila won game 1 but with San Juan winning the next two to advance to the National Finals and eventually win the championship. At the end of the season, Dionisio won MPBL Defensive Player of the Year . He and Bitoon were also selected to the All-MPBL First Team and declared all-stars. Manila came back stronger for the 2019–20 season , finishing 25–5, clinching the second seed in
270-477: The playoffs, losing to the Caloocan Batang Kankaloo in a division quarterfinals sweep, with both games being separated by one point. After the series, the organization stated that they are unsure if they will return for the 2025 MPBL season , citing financial difficulties and "uneven officiating". The Stars came to the PSL for the 2022 DUMPER Cup during the MPBL's off-season. Finishing 9–6 in
288-665: The playoffs. Villanueva would later depart for the Batangas City Embassy Chill . Following the departures of both Bitoon and Dionisio, Manila spent the next two seasons missing the playoffs, finishing 6–15 and 4–23 in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, respectively. In the 2024 season , the team gained the backing of the Strong Group Athletics organization, and would later be renamed as the Manila Batang Sampaloc , or officially,
306-555: The primary color. The Manila franchise has played most of their home games at San Andres Sports Complex since joining the MPBL. In 2022 and 2024, a portion of their home slate was played at Paco Arena. MPBL Defensive Player of the Year All-MPBL First Team All-MPBL Second Team All-Star selections Ex-PBA players Drafted to PBA Strong Group Athletics The Strong Group Athletics
324-645: The tournament. In January 2024, they announced on their social media accounts that Strong Group Athletics would be taking over Gerflor's franchise. It will be Strong Group's second PVL team, the first being the Farm Fresh Foxies . The team which initially played under the SGA name would be renamed as the Zus Coffee Thunderbelles after the conclusion of the 2024 All-Filipino Conference . The following men's basketball teams are linked to
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