Nueva Ecija Patriots

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The Nueva Ecija Patriots was a former professional basketball team in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1999-2001. 2002 PBA MVP Willie Miller was familiar for his initial years with the team when he played for the Patriots from 1999-2000.

The Patriots were derived from the province's origin during the Philippine revolution against the Spanish colonial rule at the latter end of the 19th century.

[edit] History

In 1999, the MBA added three franchises to increase their number of clubs to 15 with Nueva Ecija, San Juan, Metro Manila and Surigao. The Patriots lost in the first-ever match against fellow expansion team San Juan Knights at the Cuneta Astrodome, bannered by amateur standout Willie Miller and fil-american Alex Crisano.

The Patriots struggled throughout the 1999 season despite Miller ranking among the top 10 leaders in scoring. Crisano was later traded to the Pangasinan Waves as they held the third-worst record in the league at 7-23 win-loss slate.

In 2000, Nueva Ecija improved its record by three games but missed the playoffs for the second straight year with a 10-16 record. A year later, Miller left the team to join the Philippine Basketball Association. The Patriots went 3-11 both phases of the tournament.

After the season, the Patriots ceased operations and did not return for the 2002 season.