Pampanga Giant Lanterns
Pampanga Giant Lanterns logo
LeagueMPBL (2018–present)
PSL (2022–2023)
Founded2018 (2018)
HistoryMPBL:
Pampanga Lanterns (2018–2019)
Pampanga Giant Lanterns (2019–present)
PSL:
Pampanga G Lanterns (2022–2023)
ArenaBren Z. Guiao Convention Center
LocationPampanga
Team colors     
Main sponsorADG Group of Companies
Head coachDennis Pineda
ChampionshipsMPBL: 1 (2023)
PSL: 1 (2022–23)
Conference titlesMPBL: 1 (2023)

The Pampanga Giant Lanterns, also known as Pampanga Giant Lanterns – AMG3 Construction for sponsorship reasons, are a Filipino professional basketball team based in the province of Pampanga. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North Division. They are one of four active teams based in the Central Luzon region and play their home games at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando.

The team began play in the 2018–19 season as an expansion team. The team has also took part in the Pilipinas Super League (PSL). The team is owned by the Provincial Government of Pampanga.

The Pampanga-based franchise has won two league championships, one in the MPBL and one in the PSL.

History

Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League

Pampanga first joined the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as one of sixteen expansion teams for the 2018–19 season. The team first played their home games at Angeles University Foundation in Angeles City. The team tied with the Caloocan Supremos for the 8th seed in the playoffs, as both teams share a record of 11–14. The latter got ahead of Pampanga due to the head-to-head tiebreaker, causing the Lanterns to miss the playoffs.

Playoff hopes for Pampanga didn't stop there, as in the 2019–20 season, the team moved up to 4th with a record of 21–9, giving them their first playoff appearance. In the playoffs, the team first met with their Central Luzon neighbor Bataan Risers in the First Round, in which Pampanga beat in two games. Afterwards, they met the defending champion San Juan Knights in the Division Semifinals, where San Juan would beat Pampanga in two games.

The 2022 season saw an arena change for Pampanga, moving from Angeles City to San Fernando, where they now play at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center. That season also saw Pampanga finish 4th, with a record of 14–7. Once again, the team met Bataan in the First Round, but this time, Bataan won game 2 in overtime to force a third game. Even then, Pampanga beat Bataan in game 3 to once again advance to the Division Semifinals. They then met another Central Luzon neighbor, this time being the undefeatedd Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards, in which Nueva Ecija would sweep Pampanga out of the playoffs once again. Archie Concepcion would also win the Homegrown Player of the Year award that season.

In the 2023 season, Pampanga was coming off their 2022–23 PSL DUMPER Cup championship with their star player in Justine Baltazar. During the season, the team acquired former Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters player Encho Serrano,[1] which helped the team catapult to a league-leading 26–2 record, only losing to Batangas City and Makati during the regular season. The 26 wins is tied for the most wins in a single season in the MPBL, together with San Juan and Davao Occidental in 2020. In time for the First Round, nine-time PBA champion Arwind Santos joined the Giant Lanterns.[2] Both Serrano and Santos were listed as part of the roster before the season started, but were only able to play later on. The team easily swept its first two playoff opponents in Marikina and Caloocan, but would be challenged by the sixth-seeded San Juan Knights. Leading 1–0 in the North Division Finals, Pampanga were behind by 13 points heading into the fourth quarter of game 2. Pampanga then outscored San Juan 25–6 to claim their first division title and advance to the 2023 MPBL Finals against the Bacoor City Strikers. Pampanga took the first two games, but game 3 would end up being tightly contested as both teams tied in scoring in the first two quarters. Bacoor City got the upper hand in the third quarter, but Pampanga once again would come from behind to regain the lead, which included an 8–1 scoring near the end of the game, as they would go to win their first MPBL title.[3] The Pampanga Giant Lanterns became the first MPBL team to go undefeated throughout the playoffs, winning nine straight games. Throughout their playoff run, Pampanga also clinched the first series sweeps in both the Division Finals and National Finals.

Pilipinas Super League

Between the 2022 and 2023 MPBL seasons, the Pampanga Giant Lanterns franchise made its way to the Pilipinas Super League for the 2022 DUMPER Cup. It was at that time in which homegrown big man Justine Baltazar made his arrival to the team in December. The team finished with a 10–5 record, ending up in a three-way tie between them, Santa Rosa, and Caloocan. In the head-to-head tiebreaker, Pampanga finished ahead of both teams, claiming the 4th seed in the playoffs. Pampanga beat Santa Rosa and undefeated San Juan on their way to the Finals against the Davao Occidental Tigers. Pampanga went on to beat Davao Occidental in two games to clinch their first-ever championship in franchise history.[4]

Team identity

The team is named after the Giant Lantern Festival which takes place in San Fernando.[5], but the word "giant" was left out in their inaugural season, simply going by the Pampanga Lanterns. Once the 2019–20 season started, the team was renamed into its current form: the Pampanga Giant Lanterns. During its PSL stint, the team's name was shortened to the Pampanga G Lanterns.

Orange has always been a prominent color for the Pampanga franchise. Since its PSL stint, blue has also become a prominent color, mainly on the team's home jersey.

Season-by-season records

This is a list of seasons completed by Pampanga in the MPBL. For the full season-by-season history and other league records, see List of Pampanga Giant Lanterns seasons.

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, PCT = Winning percentage

SeasonGPWLPCTFinishPlayoffs
2018–19251114.4409th, NorthDid not qualify
2019–2030219.7004th, NorthLost in Division Semifinals, 0–2 (San Juan)
202221147.6674th, NorthLost in Division Semifinals, 0–2 (Nueva Ecija)
202328262.9291st, NorthMPBL champions, 3–0 (Bacoor City)

Current roster

Pampanga Giant Lanterns roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#POBNameHeightWeightDOBFrom
G 3 Philippines Gania, CJ (HG) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) DHVSU
F 4 Philippines Santos, Kevin Kyle (SGL) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) Letran
F 7 Philippines Bahio, JB 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) San Beda
G 8 Philippines Tolentino, Neil (HG) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Arellano
G 9 Philippines Sampang, Karl (HG) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Holy Angel
G 11 Philippines Garcia, Michael Jeffrey (HG) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) SPCF
G 13 Philippines Reyson, Kurt (SGL) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Letran
F 14 Philippines Apolonio, Jayson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) DMMMSU
G 18 Philippines Serrano, Encho (EP, HG) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 176 lb (80 kg) 1999–09–18 De La Salle
F 19 Philippines Baltazar, Justine (HG) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1997–02–19 De La Salle
C 22 Philippines Santos, Ronan (HG) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) Arellano
C 25 Philippines De Leon, Matt (HG) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) Arellano
F 29 Philippines Santos, Arwind (EP, HG) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1981–06–10 Far Eastern
G 30 Philippines Binuya, Raymond (HG) 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) San Sebastian
F 34 Philippines Maynes, Mitchelle 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
F 43 Philippines Liwag, Allen (SGL) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) St. Benilde
G 77 Philippines Clemente, John Loyd (HG) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) National-U
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Philippines Hupmerdink Dimatulac
Legend
  • (EP) Ex-PBA
  • (HG) Homegrown
  • (FF) Filipino-foreigner
  • (SGL) Special Guest Licensee
  • Injured Injured

Head coaches

Pampanga Giant Lanterns head coaches
2018–present
# Name Start End Regular Season Playoffs Best Finish Achievements
GC W L Win% GC W L Win%
1 Isaiah Duenas
Aldrin Morante		 2018 2019 0 0 0 – 0 0 0 –
2 Bong Ramos 2019 2020 0 0 0 – 0 0 0 –
3 Jordan Viray 2022 present 0 0 0 – 0 0 0 –

Notable players

Pampanga Giant Lanterns notable players
Player Position Tenure Awards All-Star
Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League
Levi Hernandez2018–2020—1 (2019)
Michael Juico2018–2020—1 (2020)
Archie Concepcion2022–20231x Homegrown Player of the Year (2022)
1x All-MPBL Second Team (2023)		1 (2022)
Justine Baltazar2023–present1x Finals Most Valuable Player (2023)
1x Most Valuable Player (2023)
1x All-MPBL First Team (2023)		1 (2023)
Encho Serrano2023–present—1 (2023)

References

  1. ↑ Li, Matthew (May 23, 2023). "Encho Serrano leaves PBA's Phoenix, set to sign with MPBL's Pampanga". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Arwind Santos joins Pampanga in time for Giant Lanterns' MPBL playoff run". Spin.ph. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Pampanga sweeps Bacoor to win MPBL title on the road". Philippine Star. December 2, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  4. ↑ Times, Tiebreaker (March 31, 2023). "Justine Baltazar tows Pampanga G to top of PSL". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  5. ↑ Joble, Rey. "MPBL: Anybody wants to know what Pampanga's moniker is?". FoxSports. Retrieved May 24, 2018.


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