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Meralco Bolts

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This article is about the MERALCO PBA basketball team. For the original MERALCO team, see Meralco Reddy Kilowatts.

Meralco Bolts
2024–25 Meralco Bolts season
Meralco Bolts logo
Founded2010
HistoryMeralco Bolts (2010–present)
Team colorsNavy blue, orange, white
     
CompanyManila Electric Company
Board governorWilliam Pamintuan
Maria Luisa Alvendia (alternate)
Team managerPaolo Trillo
Head coachLuigi Trillo
OwnershipManuel V. Pangilinan
Affiliation(s)Meralco Bolts 3x3
Championships1 championship

2024 Philippine

5 Finals appearances
Light uniform jersey
Team colours
Light uniform
Dark uniform jersey
Team colours
Dark uniform
Alternate uniform jersey
Team colours
Alternate uniform
Active affiliates of Meralco Bolts
Basketball Football Volleyball

The Meralco Bolts[1][2] is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team began in 2010 after the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) acquired the PBA franchise of the Sta. Lucia Realtors.[3] The team is one of three PBA teams presently under the control of businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan – the other teams being the TNT Tropang Giga and the NLEX Road Warriors.

History

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MICAA days

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Main article: Meralco Reddy Kilowatts

The MERALCO Reddy Kilowatts was a powerhouse basketball team that played in the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA) from 1968 to 1972. Operated by the MERALCO Athletic Club of the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO), they briefly joined the MICAA prior to World War II and was re-admitted in 1968. The team was crowned as the 1971 MICAA Open champions, beating the Crispa Redmanizers.[4]

The demise of the YCO-Ysmael Steel rivalry following the breakup of the Ysmael Steel team in 1968, paved the way for the MERALCO-Crispa rivalry starting in 1970. The rivalry came into full-bloom during the 1971 MICAA All-Filipino championship, when Reynoso and Jaworski punched referees Eriberto “Ting” Cruz and Jose “Joe” Obias for what was the duo perceived questionable calls against MERALCO. The incident resulted to lifetime suspensions meter against the two that were lifted eventually so that the two can join the national team in the 1973 Asian Basketball Championship.

The team disbanded in 1972 in the wake of the declaration of Martial Law in the Philippines, wherein the Marcos government seized MERALCO from Eugenio López, Sr.

PBA entry and the Sta. Lucia Realtors franchise acquisition

[edit]

In June 2010, there were reports that Meralco expressed interest in joining the PBA and intended to buy either Sta. Lucia's or Barako Bull's franchise after both teams unloaded most of their major players.[5] After Barako Bull informed the board that they intended to stay with the league for the 2010–11 season, Sta. Lucia then filed a "leave of absence."[6] On August 10, the PBA board finally approved the sale of the Sta. Lucia franchise to Meralco. The team would be named the Meralco Bolts.

2010–2011 PBA season

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The Bolts debuted during the 2010–11 season with a lineup that included Mark Cardona, Asi Taulava, Nelbert Omolon, Marlou Aquino, Beau Belga, Dennis Daa, Chris Ross, Ogie Menor, Pong Escobal and Chris Pacana. Shawn Weinstein, Ford Arao, Khasim Mirza and Bam-bam Gamalinda were the first players to be drafted by the franchise. They started the Philippine Cup with a win against the crowd favorites Barangay Ginebra Kings. In the middle of the conference, they traded some of their players in exchange for Hans Thiele, Mark Isip and Reed Juntilla respectively. They compiled a 7–7 record, which was enough to take them to the quarterfinals. However, they lost to the B-Meg Derby Ace Llamados 2–0. Before the Commissioner's Cup, they made a huge trade by acquiring Solomon Mercado along with Paolo Bugia and Erick Rodriguez. They also signed 3-point shooter Renren Ritualo. Despite a revamped roster and imports Anthony Dandridge and Chamberlain Oguchi, they did not past the eliminations after having a 3–6 record. The same happened during the Governors Cup when they had a 3–5 record.

2011–2012 PBA season

[edit]

The Bolts rebuilt its line-up during the offseason, releasing Renren Ritualo, Hans Thiele, Reed Juntilla and Paolo Bugia, as well as acquiring through trades Mark Yee, Mark Macapagal, Chico Lanete, Chris Timberlake and signing free agents Mark Borboran and Bryan Faundo. During the 2011 PBA Draft, Meralco selected Gilas reserve Jason Ballesteros, as well as Gilbert Bulawan to augment their frontline. In the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup, they finished at 6th place at 8–6 win–loss record but swept by the Petron Blaze Boosters. In the 2012 PBA Commissioner's Cup, they finished at another sixth place at 4–5 on that 102–98 upset win over Powerade Tigers but in another miss to the semifinals for the Bolts. In the 2012 PBA Governors Cup, they finished three straight sixth places in their franchise. In the knockout game for the last semis berth, they defeated the Powerade Tigers, 94–86 to advance to their first semifinals appearance in their franchise history.

2012–2013 PBA season

[edit]

Ramon Segismundo announced the team's uniform for the 2012–13 season will have similar design features with the 1971 uniforms worn by the Meralco Reddy Kilowatts.[7]

2013–14 season

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The Bolts made some offseason moves prior to the start of the season. They acquired "El Granada" Gary David from GlobalPort in exchange for Chris Ross, Chris Timberlake and Meralco's 2016 and 2017 second round picks.[8] They have also traded the rights of Asi Taulava to Air21 in exchange for Mike Cortez,[9] shipped Mark Cardona to Air21 via a three-team trade which in the process, acquired Rabeh Al-Hussaini.[10] They also acquired Kerby Raymundo from Ginebra for Jay-R Reyes. Raymundo has yet to play for the Bolts since he was traded because of a nagging knee injury, and is contemplating retirement.

Midway thru the eliminations, they signed up Danny Ildefonso for the rest of the conference, who was unceremoniously let go by Petron. After realizing that Danny I still has what it takes to play, and can still help the team in terms of his leadership and positive influence, the Bolts signed him for the rest of the season.[11]

During the PBA Philippine Cup conference, they were off to a good start, and were able to beat top-seed teams like Ginebra. However, they suffered losing streak and ended up in a four-way tie with Alaska, GlobalPort and Barako Bull. Since Barako Bull and GlobalPort have higher quotients, Meralco was forced to play a sudden death game with Alaska Aces to determine the eighth and final playoff spot. The Aces defeated them and thus they were eliminated from playoff contention.

2014–15 season

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In 2014–15 PBA Philippine Cup conference, they performed well, even eliminating the defending champion Purefoods Star Hotshots, but were later eliminated by Alaska Aces

In 2015 Commissioner's Cup, they are in an undefeated streak due to their good performance. The team also had its import Josh Davis who helped to maintain their great streak.

In the Governor's Cup, the team tapped Seiya Ando as their import, alongside Andre Emmett. Due to this, Ando became the first Japanese import in the league.

2015–16 season

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The 2015–16 PBA Philippine Cup was not as good as they had before. They suffered the worst with a 1–10 record. However, the team drafted Chris Newsome and Baser Amer.

The team improved very well in the Commissioner's Cup, where they were led by ex-Maccabi Tel Aviv BC player Arinze Onuaku, who would win the Best Import of the Conference award. The team also went through some setbacks, with the suspension of Gary David in a game during an elimination round, due to insubordination. David was later removed from the line-up and becoming an unrestricted agent list.[12]

The team also went to the Finals for the first time in their franchise history on the Governors' Cup. The Bolts were able to upset the top-seed TNT KaTropa by winning their best-of-five semifinal series in four games. They faced the crowd favorite Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the Finals. Meralco entered the Finals as the underdogs, but managed to put up a fight and even steal Game 1. Although Ginebra won in six games, it was considered to be one of the most entertaining Finals series in recent memory. Meralco's import, Allen Durham also won the Best Import award and rookie guard/forward Chris Newsome won Rookie of the Year.

2016–17 season

[edit]

Before the season, Jimmy Alapag retired again, this time for good.[13] The Bolts returned to the Governors' Cup Finals after a worst performance in Philippine Cup and a quarterfinals defeat in the second conference, but this time with a TNT veteran Ranidel de Ocampo. Even though they recovered on a 0–2 deficit, they still lost by seven games.[14]

2017–18 season

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For the first time since their first finals appearance, Meralco did not passed the semifinals, as they are defeated by the Alaska Aces in a best of five saga in the 2018 PBA Governors' Cup.[15] It will also be Jared Dillinger's final season with the team.

2019 season

[edit]

With the addition of Raymond Almazan and Allein Maliksi, the Bolts reached again the finals, but facing again Ginebra. They lost in the series in five games.[16]

2020 season

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After the COVID-19 struck in the Philippines, the league announced to play at a bubble modeled like of the NBA. Only the Philippine Cup was played and they placed fifth in the eliminations. But when they reached semifinals, they lost to their archnemesis Barangay Ginebra.

2021 season

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The league now will play with two conferences, due to some lowering of regulations by the IATF. Now, Meralco without Baser Amer, after being traded to Blackwater for Mac Belo, was now led by Chris Newsome and Raymond Almazan. The Bolts reached the semifinals of the first conference facing the Magnolia Hotshots, but lost in six games.[17] They reached the finals again in Governors' Cup, but again defeated by Ginebra in six games due to injuries occurred on Almazan.

2022–23 season

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In the middle of Philippine Cup, Norman Black filed leave for personal reasons and replaced by Luigi Trillo for last five games of the elimination round.[18] Trillo led the team to the first playoff victory against Barangay Ginebra in Game 3.[19] Black returned after Game 1 loss against San Miguel Beermen and led the team to tie the series, but wasn't enough to win the series and lost in seven games.

After a bad performance in Commissioner's Cup, they tapped K. J. McDaniels as their reinforcement in the Governors' Cup but they were defeated by eventual champions TNT Tropang Giga in the semifinals.[20]

2023–24 season

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Commissioner's Cup

[edit]

After years of service as head coach, Norman Black was now reassigned as team consultant and Luigi Trillo will replace him on the former position.[21]

In the Commissioner's Cup, parading Shonn Miller as their import, Bolts finished in the 5th place with 8–3 record tied with Ginebra and Phoenix, and the lowest of the three. Ended up with twice-to-win disadvantage, Meralco faced Phoenix Fuel Masters and forced a second game by winning the first game against Phoenix in a triple overtime and score of 116–107, thanks to a Cliff Hodge 20-point performance and Miller's 20 rebound game.[22] But they are still eliminated in the second game 88–84, even three players scored 15 points.[23][24]

Philippine Cup

[edit]

Bolts did not duplicated the previous conference's win-loss record, but able to secure third-seed with winning quotient with other four teams (TNT, Rain or Shine, NLEX and Magnolia) with 6–5. In the best-of-three quarterfinals, they swept the NLEX Road Warriors.

Ginebra Scare
[edit]

In the semifinals, the team faced their archrivals Barangay Ginebra. Game 1 and 5, Ginebra won by 4 points in both games;[25][26] the Bolts eventually beat Barangay Ginebra in seven games despite being down from a 2-3 deficit.[27][28][29]

First Championship
[edit]

In the finals, they faced the San Miguel Beermen, who are dominated the conference and recently swept the Rain or Shine. After a Chris Newsome clutch basket in Game 6 and a June Mar Fajardo missed three-point shot, they won the finals series in 4–2, and grabbed their first championship in franchise history.[30]

2024–25 season

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Governors' Cup

[edit]

The team drafted CJ Cansino of UP Fighting Maroons,[31] and tapped the services of Allen Durham as the team's import for the conference.[32]

Mascot

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Biboy Liwanag during Meralco's semifinal game versus Alaska on April 25, 2016

"Biboy Liwanag" is the main mascot of the Bolts; he was first introduced as the team's mascot during their maiden season in 2010.

Current roster

[edit]
Main article: Meralco Bolts all-time roster
Meralco Bolts roster
Players Coaches
Pos. # POB Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From
G 1 Philippines Black, Aaron Injured 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1996–12–03 Ateneo
G 4 Philippines Dario, Diego (IN) 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 145 lb (66 kg) 1997–01–06 Philippines
G 6 United States Banchero, Chris 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1989–01–24 Seattle Pacific
F 7 United States Hodge, Cliff 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1988–02–03 Hawaii Pacific
F 9 United States Kennedy, D. J. (EI) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1989–11–05 St. John's
G 10 Philippines Mendoza, Jolo 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 1998–01–31 Ateneo
G/F 11 United States Newsome, Chris (C) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1990–07–25 Ateneo
G 17 Philippines Caram, Anjo 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) 159 lb (72 kg) 1991–01–14 San Beda
F 19 Philippines Quinto, Bong 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 1994–12–15 Letran
F/C 20 Philippines Almazan, Raymond 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 1989–08–02 Letran
F 22 Philippines Maliksi, Allein Injured 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1987–09–18 UST
F 23 Philippines Pasaol, Alvin 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1995–05–06 UE
F 24 Philippines Jose, Raymar 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1992–08–06 Far Eastern
F 27 Philippines Rios, Jansen 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1991–10–28 Adamson
F/C 29 Canada Torres, Norbert (FA) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1990–01–12 De La Salle
F/C 32 United States Pascual, Kyle 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1990–04–13 San Beda
C 33 Australia Bates, Brandon 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 231 lb (105 kg) De La Salle
C 34 Ivory Coast Kouame, Ange 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1997–12–15 Ateneo
G 71 Philippines Cansino, CJ (R) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 1999–10–27 Philippines
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Team manager


Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (CI) Commissioner's Cup Import
  • (GI) Governors' Cup Import
  • (EI) EASL Import
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • (R) Rookie
  • Injured Injured

Roster


Head coaches

[edit]
Name Start End Seasons Overall record Best finish
G W L PCT
Ryan Gregorio 2010 2014 4 160 71 89 .444 Semifinals
Norman Black 2014 2023 9 326 170 156 .522 Finals
Luigi Trillo 2023 Incumbent Champions

Season-by-season records

[edit]
Main article: List of Meralco Bolts seasons
Records from the 2024–25 PBA season:
Conf. Team name Elimination round Playoffs
Finish W L PCT Stage Results
GOV Meralco Bolts 2nd in Group A 7 3 .700 Quarterfinals Barangay Ginebra 3, Meralco 0
COM TBD TBD TBD – TBD TBD
PHI TBD TBD TBD – TBD TBD
Total elimination round 7 3 .700 TBD
Total playoffs 0 3 .000 TBD
Total 2024–25 7 6 .538 TBD
Total franchise 276 272 .504 1 championship

*one-game playoffs
**team had the twice-to-beat advantage

Players of note

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Other notable players

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Imports

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Awards

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Individual awards

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Finals MVP PBA Rookie of the Year Award PBA All-Defensive Team
PBA Mythical First Team PBA Mythical Second Team PBA Best Import

PBA Press Corps Individual Awards

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Mr. Quality Minutes All-Rookie Team
Defensive Player of the Year Baby Dalupan Coaches of the Year

2023-24

All-Star Weekend

[edit]
All Star MVP Three-point Shootout
Slam Dunk Contest All Star Selection

2011

2012

2014

2015

2017

2018

  • Baser Amer

2019

  • Baser Amer

2023

2024

See also

[edit]

References

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  1. ^ Meralco-Ginebra game to open PBA’s 36th season Archived August 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, GMANews.TV, August 24, 2010.
  2. ^ Consumers won't pay for Bolts, Sporting Chance by Joaquin Henson, Philippine Star, August 26, 2010.
  3. ^ "Meralco makes power move, joins pro league". August 10, 2010. Archived from the original on August 16, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  4. ^ "The legacy of Reddy Kilowatts – The Manila Times Online". www.manilatimes.net. October 11, 2017. Archived from the original on October 21, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  5. ^ Meralco eyes cage return via PBA next season Archived August 23, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Rey Joble, GMANews.TV, June 24, 2010
  6. ^ Barako to compete anew; SLR bids goodbye Archived September 20, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Rey Joble, GMANews.TV, July 13, 2010
  7. ^ Joble, Rey (September 22, 2012). "Meralco to wear throwback MICAA jerseys in upcoming PBA campaign". InterAKTV. Archived from the original on September 24, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2012. Rey Joble, InterAKTV, September 22, 2012
  8. ^ INQUIRER.net (October 11, 2013). "EL GRANADA FINALLY FINDS A NEW HOME". pba.inquirer.net. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  9. ^ Badua, Snow (September 6, 2013). "Air21 Express acquire Taulava from Meralco in exchange for Cortez – SPIN.PH". Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  10. ^ Badua, Snow (October 14, 2013). "Al-Hussaini moves from TnT to Meralco as Air21 lands Cardona in three-team trade deal – SPIN.PH". Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  11. ^ Dy, Richard (February 18, 2014). "'Positive influence' Danny Ildefonso signed by Meralco for the rest of season – SPIN.PH". Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  12. ^ Leongson, Randolph B. (March 17, 2016). "After suspension, Meralco drops Gary David". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  13. ^ "Former PBA MVP Jimmy Alapag announces retirement - this time 'for good'". Spin.ph. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  14. ^ "Ginebra prevails in Game 7 to win second straight Govs' Cup title". RAPPLER. October 27, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  15. ^ "Alaska edges Meralco in Game 4, advances to finals". ESPN.com. November 17, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  16. ^ Dalupang, Denison Rey A. (January 17, 2020). "Ginebra beats Meralco again to capture PBA Governors' Cup title". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  17. ^ Bacnis, Justine (October 15, 2021). "Magnolia eliminates Meralco, advances to PBA Finals". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  18. ^ "Luigi Trillo guides Meralco out of slump as stand-in for Norman Black". RAPPLER. July 6, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  19. ^ "Meralco averts disaster, boots out Ginebra in breakthrough playoff win to reach semis". RAPPLER. July 31, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  20. ^ "TNT rediscover dominance to lead Governors' Cup semi vs. Meralco". ESPN.com. March 29, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  21. ^ "Norman Black out as Meralco head coach; Luigi Trillo takes over". RAPPLER. May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  22. ^ "Meralco survives three-overtime thriller vs Phoenix, forces sudden-death". Spin.ph. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  23. ^ Anzures, Rom (January 21, 2024). "PBA: Phoenix avoids another meltdown against Meralco, clinches semis spot". ABS-CBN News.
  24. ^ Dioquino, Delfin (January 10, 2024). "Twice-to-beat bonus clinched as Phoenix outlasts Meralco". RAPPLER. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  25. ^ Villanueva, Ralph Edwin. "Pringle powers Gin Kings to Game 1 win vs Bolts". Philstar.com. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  26. ^ Dalupang, Denison Rey A. (May 26, 2024). "PBA: Ginebra comes back to beat Meralco and take 3-2 semis lead". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  27. ^ Terrado, Reuben. "Meralco boots out Ginebra in Game 7, makes PBA Finals vs SMB". Spin.ph. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  28. ^ Villanueva, Ralph Edwin. "Bolts eliminate Kings for 1st-ever PBA Philippine Cup finals stint". Philstar.com. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  29. ^ Dioquino, Delfin (May 31, 2024). "Not this time: Meralco breaks Ginebra curse in Game 7 for breakthrough PH Cup finals stint". RAPPLER. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  30. ^ "How Nenad went from leaving Gilas to winning PBA title at Meralco". Spin.ph. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  31. ^ Fuentes, Jr., Rommel. "PBA: CJ Cansino sees being a good fit with Meralco". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  32. ^ Micaller, Bea. "Allen Durham returns to Meralco to settle some unfinished business". GMA News.
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