Ilagan Isabela Cowboys

Ilagan Isabela Cowboys
2026 Ilagan Isabela Cowboys season
DivisionNorth
LeagueThe Asian Tournament
Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League
FoundedFebruary 1, 2025 (February 1, 2025)
HistoryIlagan Isabela Cowboys
2025–present
ArenaCapital Arena
LocationIlagan City, Isabela
Team colors     
Main sponsorFive Star Chicken
Head coachLouie Gonzalez
Championships0
Division titles0

The Ilagan Isabela Cowboys (also known as Ilagan Isabela-Five Star Cowboys for sponsorship reasons) is a Filipino professional basketball team based in Ilagan, Isabela. The team competes in The Asian Tournament (TAT) and mainly in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North Division. The team plays its home games at the Capital Arena.

The Ilagan-based franchise began play in the 2025 season as the league's newest expansion team to date. The Cowboys are the lone team based in the Cagayan Valley region and one of two teams based in Northern Luzon, alongside the Abra Weavers.

History

Basketball in Cagayan Valley

The Cagayan Valley was first represented by the Cagayan Rising Suns of the PBA D-League and Pilipinas Commercial Basketball League (PCBL), playing from 2012 to 2015.[1][2] In 2022, the Cagayan Valley Golden Eagles represented the region during the inaugural season of the Pilipinas Super League (PSL).[3]

Establishment

In 2024, the MPBL began expanding into the northern regions of Luzon for its sixth season of play. It added two expansion teams: the Pangasinan Heatwaves from the Ilocos Region and the Abra Weavers from Cordillera, leaving Cagayan Valley behind.[4] On January 16, 2025, league commissioner Kenneth Duremdes announced that the city of Ilagan will acquire an expansion team for the 2025 season.[5][6] The expansion team was formally established on February 1 in Parañaque, with the league also announcing the name of the team as the Ilagan Isabela Cowboys. Former JRU Heavy Bombers head coach Louie Gonzalez was appointed as head coach of the Ilagan-based team after parting ways with JRU a month prior.[7]

The team played its first-ever game at home at the Capital Arena as part of opening day, where they defeated the Sarangani Gripper Motorcycle Tire, 74–54.[8]

Home venues

The team uses the Capital Arena as its primary home venue, which opened in November 2024 and has capacity of 10,000.[7]

Venue Location Capacity 2025
Capital Arena Ilagan, Isabela 10,000 Green tick

Personnel

Current roster

Ilagan Isabela Cowboys roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOBFrom
G 0 Roed Aggarao (HG) 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
G 1 Kyle Brandon Paranada 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) UST
G 2 Donald Gumaru (HG) 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 1992–09–20 Arellano
G 3 TJ Felebrico (HG) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) San Sebastian
G 5 Alex Cabagnot 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1982–12–08 Hawaiʻi–Hilo
F 7 John Paul Cauilan (HG) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) National-U
G/F 8 Robby Celiz 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 217 lb (98 kg) 1988–09–07 National-U
F 9 Prince Rivero (HG) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 1995–02–19 De La Salle
G 10 Shan Bautista (HG) 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
F 11 Miguel Ona 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Far Eastern
F 12 Gabriel Martin Capacio 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) De La Salle
G 13 Guilmer Dela Torre (HG) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 1997-11-25 Arellano
C 15 Allan Santos 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Lyceum
F 17 Victor Buraga (HG) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) St. Jude
F 18 Arthur dela Cruz 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1992–01–09 San Beda
G 22 Chino Mosqueda 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 1996–05–13 National-U
G 24 Aldrin Adorio (HG) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
G/F 25 Jesper Ayaay 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Lyceum
G 29 Allen Mina (HG) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1996–09–22 Letran
F 30 Efrain Boado (HG) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
C 41 Jayboy Solis 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Olivarez
F/C 88 Barkley Eboña 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 1996–11–29 Far Eastern
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Glenn Capacio
  • Alex Callueng
  • Eric Dela Cuesta
  • Mixson Ramos
  • Ethel Tacorda
Team manager
  • Joji Fournier
Legend
  • (HG) Homegrown
  • (FF) Filipino-foreigner
  • (SGL) Special Guest Licensee
  • (RS) Reserve player
  • Injured Injured
Updated as of: June 21, 2026

Head coaches

Ilagan Isabela Cowboys head coaches
# Name Start End Achievements Ref.
1Louie Gonzalez 2025current — [7]

Season-by-season records

Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League

Season Regular season Playoffs
Division Finish GP W L PCT GB Stage Results
Ilagan Isabela Cowboys
2025North8th291514.51713Division quarterfinalslost vs. Abra, 0–2
2026TBATo be determinedTo be determined
All-time regular season record291514.5171 playoff appearance
All-time playoff record202.0000 finals appearance
All-time overall record311516.4840 championships

Notable players

PBA players

References

  1. ↑ Hegina, Aries Joseph (May 17, 2015). "After head coach's lifetime ban, Cagayan Valley to quit PBA D-League". INQUIRER.net.
  2. ↑ Terrado, Reuben (August 10, 2015). "Newly-formed PCBL intent on finding own niche in basketball market". spin.ph. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  3. ↑ Leongson, Randolph B. (January 22, 2022). "Marc Pingris named Pilipinas Super League commissioner". Spin.ph. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  4. ↑ "MPBL welcomes unlimited pros, expands with two new franchises". Tiebreaker Times. February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Ilagan City newest MPBL team when Season 7 opens on March 8". Spin.ph. January 16, 2025. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  6. ↑ "MPBL cancels preseason tourney". Philstar.com. January 22, 2025. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 Times, Tiebreaker (February 2, 2025). "Louie Gonzalez finds new home as Ilagan Isabela Cowboys join MPBL". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  8. ↑ Times, Tiebreaker (March 9, 2025). "MPBL: Art Dela Cruz puts on show for Ilagan Isabela as Dave Ildefonso stars in Abra's strong start". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.