Pampanga Giant Lanterns

Professional basketball team in Pampanga, Philippines

For the Christmas lantern festival in Pampanga that the team is named after, see Giant Lantern Festival.

Pampanga Giant Lanterns

2024 Pampanga Giant Lanterns season
League| MPBL (2018–present)
PSL (2022–2023)
Founded| 2018; 6 years ago (2018)
History| Pampanga Lanterns
2018–2019
Pampanga Giant Lanterns
2019–present (MPBL)
Pampanga G Lanterns
2022–2023 (PSL)
Arena| Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center
Location| Pampanga
Team colors|
Main sponsor| AMG3 Construction
Head coach| Frederick Dimatulac
Championships| MPBL: 1 (2023)
PSL: 1 (2022–23)
Conference titles| MPBL: 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 five 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

[edit]

### 2018–2022: Playoff contention

[edit]

#### 2018–2020: Beginnings in Angeles

[edit]

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 first two seasons 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.

#### 2022: Move to San Fernando

[edit]

The 2022 season saw the team move to San Fernando. 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.

### 2022–present: Championship contention

[edit]

#### 2022–present: Justine Baltazar joins the team

[edit]

In 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.[1]

Following their PSL championship, the team made its way back to the MPBL for the 2023 season. In May, the team acquired former Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters player Encho Serrano,[2] 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 regular season wins in a single season in the MPBL, together with San Juan and Davao Occidental in 2020. In time for the division quarterfinals, nine-time PBA champion Arwind Santos joined the Giant Lanterns.[3] The team continued their dominance from the regular season by not losing a single game en route to the 2023 MPBL finals against the Bacoor City Strikers. In three games, they would go to win their first MPBL title on December 2, 2023.[4] 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.

The team then took part in the 2024 Preseason Invitational, with Jeff Viernes joining the preseason squad. After a sweep in the group stage, the Giant Lanterns would make the finals against the South Cotabato Warriors, which they would win 93–75, making them the first Luzon-based Invitational champions.[5]

## Team identity

[edit]

The team is named after the Giant Lantern Festival which takes place in San Fernando.,[6] 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.

## Home venues

[edit]

During the team's Angeles City era, the team played their home games at Angeles University Foundation. Since their move to San Fernando in 2022, the team's home games are played at Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center.

Venue  | Location  | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024

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Angeles University Foundation
(Angeles University Foundation Gymnasium) | Angeles, Pampanga | Y | Y | N | N | TBA
Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center | San Fernando, Pampanga | N | N | Y | Y | Y

## Current roster

[edit]

Pampanga Giant Lanterns roster

* v
* t
* e

Players | Coaches
| Pos. | No. | Name | Height | Weight | DOB | From

|
|
|
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C | 1 | Muyang, Larry | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)  | 220 lb (100 kg)  | 1995–06–04  | Letran
G | 2 | Concepcion, Archie (HG)  | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)  | 189 lb (86 kg)  |  | Arellano
F | 4 | Santos, Kevin Kyle (HG)  | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)  |  |  | Letran
C | 5 | Ramirez, Brandon (HG)  | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)  |  |  |
G | 7 | Alcoriza, Rence Luis | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)  |  |  | Arellano
C | 8 | Eguilos, Jhaymo | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)  | 190 lb (86 kg)  | 1986–08–27  | Far Eastern
F | 9 | Dela Cruz, Joshua (HG)  | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)  |  |  |
F | 10 | Estil, Sonny (SGL)  | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)  |  |  |
G | 11 | Garcia, MJ (HG)  | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)  |  |  | SPCF
G | 13 | Reyson, Kurt | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)  |  |  | Letran
F | 16 | Gozum, Martin (HG)  | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)  |  |  |
G | 18 | Serrano, Encho (HG)  | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)  | 176 lb (80 kg)  | 1999–09–18  | De La Salle
F | 19 | Baltazar, Justine (HG)  | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)  | 250 lb (113 kg)  | 1997–02–19  | De La Salle
C | 22 | Santos, Ronan (HG)  | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)  |  |  | Arellano
C | 25 | De Leon, Matt (HG)  | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)  |  |  | Arellano
G | 30 | Binuya, Raymond (HG)  | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)  |  |  | San Sebastian
F | 43 | Liwag, Allen (SGL)  | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)  |  |  | St. Benilde
F/C | 45 | Flores, Lervin | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)  | 185 lb (84 kg)  | 1992–09–26  | Arellano
G | 74 | Viernes, Jeff | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)  | 143 lb (65 kg)  | 1989–05–18  | St. Clare
G | –  | Gomez de Liaño, Joe | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)  |  |  |

Head coach

* Frederic Dimatulac

Assistant coach(es)

* Manuel Luis Marquez
* Billy Bansil
* Jordan Viray
* Camille Istle Santos
* Jay Sierra

* * *

Legend

* (HG) Homegrown
* (FF) Filipino-foreigner
* (SGL) Special Guest Licensee
*   *   *   *   * Injured

* * *

* Roster – via Genius Sports

Updated as of: June 30, 2024

### Head coaches

[edit]

#  | Name  | Term  | Ref.

|
|
|

1 | Isaiah Duenas | 2018 |
2 | Aldrin Morante | 2018–19  |
3 | Bong Ramos | 2019–20 |
4 | Jordan Viray | 2022 |
5 | Dennis Pineda | 2022–23 |
6 | Frederick Dimatulac | 2024–  |

### Notable players

[edit]

Pampanga Giant Lanterns notable players

Player  | Position  | Tenure  | Awards  | All-Star
Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League
Levi Hernandez |  | 2018–2020 | — | 1 (2019)
Michael Juico |  | 2018–2020 | — | 1 (2020)
Archie Concepcion |  | 2022–2023 | 1x Homegrown Player of the Year (2022)
1x All-MPBL Second Team (2023) | 1 (2022)
Justine Baltazar |  | 2023–present | 1x Finals Most Valuable Player (2023)
1x Most Valuable Player (2023)
1x All-MPBL First Team (2023) | 1 (2023)
Encho Serrano |  | 2023–present | — | 1 (2023)

## Season-by-season records

[edit]

| League champions

|

| Division champions
| Qualified for playoffs
| Best regular season record

### Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League

[edit]

Season  | Regular season  | Playoffs

|
|

Division  | Finish  | GP  | W  | L  | PCT  | GB  | Stage  | Results
Pampanga Lanterns
2018–19
Datu Cup | North | 9th | 25 | 11 | 14 | .440 | 12 | Did not qualify
Pampanga Giant Lanterns
2019–20
Lakan Season | North | 4th | 30 | 21 | 9 | .700 | 5 | First Round
Division semifinals | won vs. Bataan, 2–0
lost vs. San Juan, 0–2
2022 | North | 4th | 21 | 14 | 7 | .667 | 7 | First Round
Division semifinals | won vs. Bataan, 2–1
lost vs. Nueva Ecija, 0–2
2023 | North | 1st | 28 | 26 | 2 | .929 | — | First Round
Division semifinals
Division finals
National finals | won vs. Marikina, 2–0
won vs. Caloocan, 2–0
won vs. San Juan, 2–0
won vs. Bacoor City, 3–0
2024 | North | To be determined | Qualified for playoffs
All-time regular season record | 104 | 72 | 32 | .692 |  | 4 playoff appearances
All-time playoff record | 18 | 13 | 5 | .722 | 1 Finals appearance
All-time overall record | 122 | 85 | 37 | .697 | 1 championship

### Pilipinas Super League

[edit]

Tournament  | Elimination round  | Playoffs

|
|

Finish  | GP  | W  | L  | PCT  | GB  | Stage  | Results
Pampanga G Lanterns
2022–23
DUMPER Cup | 4th | 15 | 10 | 5 | .667 | 5 | Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Finals | won vs. Santa Rosa, 1–0
won vs. San Juan, 2–0
won vs. Davao Occidental, 2–0
All-time elimination round record | 15 | 10 | 5 | .667 |  | 1 playoff appearance
All-time playoff record | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1.000 | 1 finals appearance
All-time overall record | 20 | 15 | 5 | .800 | 1 championship

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Times, Tiebreaker (March 31, 2023). "Justine Baltazar tows Pampanga G to top of PSL". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
2. ^ Li, Matthew (May 23, 2023). "Encho Serrano leaves PBA's Phoenix, set to sign with MPBL's Pampanga". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
3. ^ "Arwind Santos joins Pampanga in time for Giant Lanterns' MPBL playoff run". Spin.ph. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
4. ^ "Pampanga sweeps Bacoor to win MPBL title on the road". Philippine Star. December 2, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
5. ^ "Baltazar, Serrano lead Pampanga to MPBL Preseason crown". Tiebreaker Times. February 28, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
6. ^ Joble, Rey. "MPBL: Anybody wants to know what Pampanga's moniker is?". FoxSports. Retrieved May 24, 2018.

* v
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Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League

2024 MPBL season

* Founder: Manny Pacquiao
* COO: Zaldy Realubit
* Commissioner: Kenneth Duremdes

North Division|

Abra Weavers
Bataan Risers
Bulacan Kuyas
Caloocan Batang Kankaloo
Manila Batang Sampaloc
Marikina Shoemasters
Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards
Pampanga Giant Lanterns
Pangasinan Heatwaves
Pasay Voyagers
Quezon City Toda Aksyon
Rizal Golden Coolers
San Juan Knights
Valenzuela Classic

South Division|

Bacolod City of Smiles
Batangas City Tanduay Rum Masters
Bicolandia Oragons
Biñan Tatak Gel
Davao Occidental Tigers
Iloilo United Royals
Imus Agimat
Mindoro Tamaraws
Muntinlupa Cagers
Negros Muscovados
Parañaque Patriots
Quezon Huskers
Sarangani Marlins
South Cotabato Warriors
Zamboanga Master Sardines

History|

* Timeline
* former teams
* Seasons
* Invitational
* All-Star Game
* Champions
* Records
* win–loss records

Others|

* Awards
* MVP
* Finals MVP
* All-Star MVP
* DPOY
* All-MPBL Team
* Venues

* Category

* v
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Pampanga Giant Lanterns 2023 MPBL champions

* 2 Concepcion
* 3 Gania
* 4 K.K. Santos
* 6 Sangalang
* 7 Bahio
* 8 Tolentino
* 9 Sampang
* 11 Garcia
* 13 Reyson
* 14 Apolonio
* 18 Serrano
* 19 Baltazar (Finals MVP)
* 22 R. Santos
* 25 de Leon
* 29 A. Santos
* 30 Binuya
* 34 Maynes
* 43 Liwag
* 77 Clemente

* Head coach: Pineda
* Assistant coach: Dimatulac

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*[t]: Discuss this template
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*[No.]: Number
*[DOB]: Date of birth (YYYY-MM-DD)