Rizal Golden Coolers
League	Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (2018–present)
Founded	2018 (2018)
History	Rizal Crusaders (2018–2019) Rizal Golden Coolers (2019–present)
Arena	Ynares Center One Arena
Location	Rizal
Team colors
Main sponsor	PTC Foodsphere Asia Corp. AMRC Holdings Company, Inc. EMKAI Non-Specialized Wholesale Trading
Head coach	Jonathan Banal

The Rizal Golden Coolers, also known as the Rizal Xentromall Golden Coolers for sponsorship reasons, are a Filipino professional basketball team based in the province of Rizal. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North Division. They are one of six teams based in the Calabarzon region and play their home games at Ynares Center in Antipolo.

The team began play during the 2018–19 season as the Rizal Crusaders. Team ownership said that the name was chosen as the province of Rizal is known for "crusades, mountaineering, and other stuff". Originally, the team was going to be called the Rizal Ankle Breakers, but was changed due to criticism that the name didn't have any relation to the province of Rizal.^[1][2]

In 2023, a volleyball team of the same name began play as one of eight charter teams in the Maharlika Pilipinas Volleyball Association's (MPVA) inaugural season.

History

Rizal struggled during its first two seasons, ending up with the worst record of the division in both instances. In the 2018–19 season, the team finished 7-18, last place in the Southern Division. In the 2019–20 season, the team finished 7-22, last place in the Northern Division.

Despite struggling in the 2021 Invitational, with a record of 1-4, the team rose up in the 2022 season. The Golden Coolers finished the season 10-11, earning a playoff appearance for the first time. As the sixth seed, they upset the third-seed Sarangani in the First Round, but would go on to be swept by Batangas City in the Division Semifinals,

Home arenas

The Rizal-based team's main arena is the Ynares Center, located in Antipolo. In 2023, the team played its first game outside Anitpolo, heading to Cainta to play at One Arena.

Current roster

Rizal Golden Coolers roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # POB Name Height Weight DOB From 0 Are, Michael San Sebastian G 3 Charcos, Edgar Louie 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) UPHSD F 5 Bernardo, Kristian 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Adamson C 6 Fuentes, King Rodney 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Emilio Aguinaldo G 7 Pido, Jeric James Mapúa G 8 Meca, Brylle Ivan 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Arellano G/F 9 Capobres, Alvin 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 1994–08–19 San Sebastian 10 Abuda, Franz Jonathan San Beda C 12 Gob II, John Winfred UP Diliman F 16 Aquino, Art Patrick 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 1994–12–05 Centro Escolar G 20 Rios, Jordan 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) St. Clare G/F 22 de Mesa, Rey 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) St. Clare G 23 De La Rosa, Ry Aijer José Rizal 27 Tibayan, Jonas Raphael National-U 29 Juanico, Jerome José Rizal 34 Salim, Med 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) National-U 44 Pasia, Jerome UPHSD G 77 Gamboa, Mike 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1989–02–26 UP Diliman F -- Apacible, John 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 1996–02–07 UE F -- Bañez, Shamasneh 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Letran	Head coach Jonathan Banal Assistant coach(es) Don Urro James Ongpin Waylon Nibaten Dexter Rosales Team manager Jonathan Banal Legend (EP) Ex-PBA (HG) Homegrown (FF) Filipino-foreigner (SGL) Special Guest Licensee Injured Roster – via Genius Sports

Season-by-season records

Records from the 2023 MPBL season:

References