Iligan Crusaders
| Illigan Crusaders | |
|---|---|
| Leagues | National Basketball Conference |
| Founded | 2004 |
| History | 2004-present |
| Arena | MSU-IIT Gymnasium |
| Location | Iligan City, Philippines |
| Head coach | Eric Samson |
| Championships | 1 (2007 NBC National Cup) |
The Iligan Crusaders are a professional basketball team based in Iligan City, Philippines. They play in the National Basketball Conference (NBC). The team is currently owned by Iligan City Mayor Lawrence Cruz and is currently managed by Frederick Siao.
Home Arena
- MSU-IIT Gymnasium (2004–present)
History
1st Season
In 2004, Iligan City decided to join the league as an expansion team. He signed Billy Reyes as the head coach of the Iligan Crusaders and acquired key players Jeff Villabona,Argee Bunga, Mark Kong, DonDon Mendoza, Lemuel Tadura, Joseph Roque, Adam Baguio and Sammy Ayodelle. The team's hopes in winning the championship were put to a rest when the Ozamiz Cotta knocked them out in the conference finals.
2nd Season
In the 2005 season, team manager Frederick Siao acquired last season's Most Valuable Player Christian Nicdao,ex-UST Growling Tiger, Frederick Hubalde, ex-UE Red Warrior Ollan Omiping, ex-JRU Heavy Bomber McDonald Santos and former Adamson Falcon Jeff Tajonera, and veterans Melvin Taguines and Marlon Kalaw. Holdovers from their last season squad are Sammy Ayodelle and Dave Sagad and locals Jayzeel Canoy, Adam Baguio, Jeff Villabona and Lemuel Tadura. Completing the strong lineup of Iligan are rookies Ferdie Go, Jerson Espinosa, Rey Sumagang, Miro Pajarilla and alwin ilagan. Despite having a strong start in the season, the Crusaders were unable to win the championship due to their loss to the Iloilo Warriors.
3rd Season
In the 2007 season, the Crusaders defeated Iloilo in the semi-final of the NBC Cup and faced Ozamiz in the all-Mindanao best of three finals.
In the finals, the Crusaders routed defending champion Ozamiz Cotta in the first game, 88-83 and then escaped the Cotta's comeback in the second game, 81-73 to capture the NBC Cup. It was Iligan's first ever championship in its history, it was the iligan's pride Lemuel Tadura and Jeff Villabona who scored 14 of his 27 pts on that game putting the name Iligan City to history.
Notes
Best Home Game
Probably the best home game this year for the Crusaders was when they faced the Ozamiz Cotta on April 25, 2007, on their home floor and won in a 92-90 score on Dino Cabili's last shot with 16 seconds left in regulation.
Player Additions
Midpoint in the season, Frederick Siao signed Nat Cruz and Ian Saladaga who were from the Valencia Golden Harvest. He also signed Ronnie Matias who, after playing in the PBL, signed with the Iligan Crusaders. Matias played for the Iligan Crusaders in the second season of the team.
Player Subtractions
Midpoint in the season, the Crusaders lost 5'10 point guard Arnold Booker Santos due to unknown reasons.
Current roster
| Jersey No. | Player | Height | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Ayodelle, Sammy | 6' 2" | Power Forward |
| 5 | Baguio, Adam | 5' 10" | Point Guard |
| 8 | Cabili, Dino | 6' 0" | Shooting Guard |
| 2 | Gatchalian, Timoteo III | 5' 11" | Point Guard |
| 14 | Go, Ferdinand | 6' 2" | Small Forward |
| 10 | Guiyab, Arden | 6' 5" | Center |
| 1 | Hardin, Rich | 6' 0" | Point Guard |
| 13 | Villabona, Jeff Surambaw | 4 none | Point Guard |
| 6 | Magdadaro, Jose Jr. | 6' 5" | Center |
| 9 | Marata, Romulo | 5' 11" | Shooting Guard |
| 22 | Matias, Ronnie | 6' 4" | Power Forward |
| 21 | Tadura, Lemuel | 5' 10" | Shooting Guard |
| 15 | Sta. Cruz, Harold | 6' 3" | Power Forward |