2024–25 Meralco Bolts season

2024–25 Meralco Bolts season
Head coachLuigi Trillo
General ManagerPaolo Trillo
Owner(s)Manila Electric Company
(an MVP group subsidiary)
Governors' Cup results
Record7–3
(70%)
Place2nd in Group A
Playoff finishQuarterfinalist (lost to Barangay Ginebra, 0–3)
Commissioner's Cup results
Record7–5
(58.3%)
Place5th
Playoff finishQuarterfinalist (lost to Barangay Ginebra, 1–2)
Philippine Cup results
Record6–5
(54.5%)
Place8th
Playoff finishQuarterfinalist (lost to San Miguel with twice-to-win disadvantage)
Meralco Bolts seasons

The 2024–25 Meralco Bolts season was the 14th season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

Key dates

Draft picks

Round Pick Player Position Place of birth College
1 11 CJ Cansino G  Philippines UP
2 23 Kurt Reyson G  Philippines Letran
3 35 JP Maguliano F  Philippines EAC
4 43 Jordan Bartlett G  USA De La Salle

Roster

2024–25 Meralco Bolts roster
Players Coaches
Pos. # POB Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From
G 1 Aaron Black 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1996–12–03 Ateneo
G 6 Chris Banchero 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1989–01–24 Seattle Pacific
F 7 Cliff Hodge 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1988–02–03 Hawaii Pacific
G 8 Kurt Reyson  (R) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Letran
G 10 Jolo Mendoza 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 1998–01–31 Ateneo
G/F 11 Chris Newsome (C) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1990–07–25 Ateneo
F 12 JP Maguliano (R / FA) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Emilio Aguinaldo
G 17 Anjo Caram 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) 159 lb (72 kg) 1991–01–14 San Beda
F 19 Bong Quinto 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 1994–12–15 Letran
C 20 Raymond Almazan 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 1989–08–02 Letran
F 22 Allein Maliksi  6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1987–09–18 UST
F 23 Alvin Pasaol 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1995–05–06 UE
F 24 Raymar Jose 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1992–08–06 Far Eastern
F 27 Jansen Rios 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1991–10–28 Adamson
F/C 29 Norbert Torres 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1990–01–12 De La Salle
F/C 32 Kyle Pascual 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1990–04–13 San Beda
C 33 Brandon Bates 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 231 lb (105 kg) De La Salle
G 71 CJ Cansino (R) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 1999–10–27 Philippines
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Team manager



Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (CI) Commissioner's Cup Import
  • (GI) Governors' Cup Import
  • (EI) EASL Import
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • (R) Rookie
  • Injured

Roster


Governors' Cup

Eliminations

Group A Standings

Pos Team W L PCT GB Qualification
1 TNT Tropang Giga 8 2 .800 Quarterfinals
2 7 3 .700 1
3 Converge FiberXers 6 4 .600 2
4 Magnolia Chicken
Timplados Hotshots
5 5 .500 3
5 NorthPort Batang Pier 3 7 .300 5
6 Terrafirma Dyip 1 9 .100 7
Source: PBA.ph
Rules for classification: 1) winning percentage; 2) if two teams are tied, head-to-head record, if three or more teams are tied, head-to-head goal average (quotient); 3) overall quotient; 4) coin toss[2]

Game log

2024 PBA Governors' Cup game log
Total: 7–3
August: 2–1
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
1 August 18 Magnolia W 99–94 Allen Durham (20) Allen Durham (16) Cliff Hodge (5) Smart Araneta Coliseum 1–0
2 August 22 TNT L 73–93 Chris Banchero (18) Allen Durham (10) Banchero, Quinto (4) Smart Araneta Coliseum 1–1
3 August 28 Terrafirma W 107–91 Allen Durham (23) Allen Durham (12) Cliff Hodge (7) Ninoy Aquino Stadium 2–1
September: 5–2
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
4 September 1 NorthPort W 109–99 Allen Durham (34) Allen Durham (16) Allen Durham (9) Ninoy Aquino Stadium 3–1
5 September 4 Converge W 116–88 Allen Durham (27) Allen Durham (14) Allen Durham (6) Smart Araneta Coliseum 4–1
6 September 7 Magnolia W 82–74 Chris Newsome (21) Allen Durham (14) Chris Banchero (6) Panabo City Multi-Purpose Tourism Cultural and Sports Center 5–1
7 September 12 TNT L 99–108 Allen Durham (26) Allen Durham (11) Allen Durham (6) Ninoy Aquino Stadium 5–2
8 September 14 NorthPort W 114–104 Allen Durham (23) Allen Durham (13) Bong Quinto (6) Ninoy Aquino Stadium 6–2
9 September 18 Converge L 97–105 Allen Durham (25) Chris Newsome (11) Bong Quinto (8) Ninoy Aquino Stadium 6–3
10 September 21 Terrafirma W 124–82 Alvin Pasaol (21) Hodge, Pasaol (8) Jolo Mendoza (5) Ninoy Aquino Stadium 7–3

Playoffs

Bracket

Quarterfinals
(Best-of-5)
Semifinals
(Best-of-7)
Finals
(Best-of-7)
A1TNT3
B4NLEX1
A1TNT4
B1Rain or Shine1
B1Rain or Shine3
A4Magnolia2
A1TNT4
B3Barangay Ginebra2
B2San Miguel3
A3Converge2
B2San Miguel2
B3Barangay Ginebra4
A20
B3Barangay Ginebra3

Game log

2024 PBA Governors' Cup playoffs game log
Total: 0–3
Quarterfinals: 0–3
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 September 26 Barangay Ginebra L 92–99 Cliff Hodge (23) Allen Durham (13) Chris Newsome (6) Ninoy Aquino Stadium 0–1
2 September 28 Barangay Ginebra L 103–104 Allen Durham (39) Allen Durham (14) Banchero, Hodge (7) Smart Araneta Coliseum 0–2
3 September 30 Barangay Ginebra L 106–113 Allen Durham (38) Allen Durham (13) Chris Banchero (8) Ninoy Aquino Stadium 0–3

Commissioner's Cup

Eliminations

Standings

Pos Team W L PCT GB Qualification
1 NorthPort Batang Pier 9 3 .750 Twice-to-beat in the quarterfinals
2 TNT Tropang Giga 8 4 .667[a] 1
3 Converge FiberXers 8 4 .667[a] 1 Best-of-three quarterfinals
4 Barangay Ginebra San Miguel 8 4 .667[a] 1
5 7 5 .583[b] 2
6 Rain or Shine Elasto Painters 7 5 .583[b] 2
7 Eastern (G) 7 5 .583[b] 2 Twice-to-win in the quarterfinals
8 Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots 6 6 .500[c] 3
9 NLEX Road Warriors 6 6 .500[c] 3
10 San Miguel Beermen 5 7 .417 4
11 Blackwater Bossing 3 9 .250[d] 6
12 Phoenix Fuel Masters 3 9 .250[d] 6
13 Terrafirma Dyip 1 11 .083 8
Source: PBA.ph
Rules for classification: 1) winning percentage; 2) if two teams are tied, head-to-head record; if three or more teams are tied, head-to-head goal average (quotient); if tied for 8th, one-game playoff; 3) overall quotient; 4) coin toss[3]
(G) Guests
Notes:
  1. ^ a b c Head-to-head quotient: TNT 1.04, Converge 1.03, Barangay Ginebra 0.94
  2. ^ a b c Head-to-head quotient: Meralco 1.08, Rain or Shine 1.04, Eastern 0.88
  3. ^ a b Eighth seed playoff: Magnolia 112–81 NLEX
  4. ^ a b Head-to-head record: Blackwater 1–0 Phoenix

Game log

2024–25 PBA Commissioner's Cup game log
Total: 7–5
November: 1–0
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
1 November 29, 2024 Phoenix W 111–109 Akil Mitchell (27) Akil Mitchell (13) Chris Newsome (6) Ninoy Aquino Stadium 1–0
December: 2–2
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
2 December 1, 2024 Rain or Shine W 121–111 Chris Newsome (25) Raymond Almazan (16) Black, Quinto (4) Ynares Center 2–0
3 December 6, 2024 Terrafirma W 96–91 D. J. Kennedy (32) Raymond Almazan (12) Chris Newsome (8) Ninoy Aquino Stadium 3–0
4 December 12, 2024 Blackwater L 98–114 Chris Newsome (22) Cliff Hodge (10) Aaron Black (6) Ninoy Aquino Stadium 3–1
5 December 25, 2024 Converge L 94–110 Akil Mitchell (29) Akil Mitchell (18) Bong Quinto (4) Smart Araneta Coliseum
12,198
3–2
January: 4–3
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
6 January 5, 2025 Eastern W 88–83 Akil Mitchell (31) Akil Mitchell (14) Akil Mitchell (5) Smart Araneta Coliseum 4–2
7 January 7, 2025 TNT L 99–101 Akil Mitchell (24) Akil Mitchell (18) Chris Newsome (8) PhilSports Arena 4–3
8 January 10, 2025 NLEX W 105–91 Akil Mitchell (24) Akil Mitchell (12) Mitchell, Quinto (6) Ninoy Aquino Stadium 5–3
9 January 14, 2025 NorthPort W 111–94 Akil Mitchell (30) Akil Mitchell (13) Chris Banchero (6) Ninoy Aquino Stadium 6–3
10 January 18, 2025 San Miguel W 100–93 Akil Mitchell (26) Akil Mitchell (16) Bong Quinto (8) Candon City Arena 7–3
11 January 29, 2025 Barangay Ginebra L 87–91 CJ Cansino (15) Raymond Almazan (13) Banchero, Black, Hodge (4) Smart Araneta Coliseum 7–4
12 January 31, 2025 Magnolia L 92–129 Raymond Almazan (23) Brandon Bates (5) Chris Banchero (8) PhilSports Arena 7–5

Playoffs

Bracket

Quarterfinals
Semifinals
(Best-of-7)
Finals
(Best-of-7)
(#1 twice-to-beat)
1NorthPort113
8Magnolia110
1NorthPort1
(Best-of-3)
4Barangay Ginebra4
4Barangay Ginebra2
51
4Barangay Ginebra3
(#2 twice-to-beat)
2TNT4
2TNT109
7Eastern93
2TNT4
(Best-of-3)
6Rain or Shine1
3Converge1
6Rain or Shine2

Game log

2024–25 PBA Commissioner's Cup playoffs game log
Total: 1–2
Quarterfinals: 1–2
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 February 5, 2025 Barangay Ginebra L 92–100 Chris Newsome (20) Akil Mitchell (14) Akil Mitchell (6) Smart Araneta Coliseum 0–1
2 February 7, 2025 Barangay Ginebra W 108–104 Chris Newsome (24) Akil Mitchell (17) Akil Mitchell (10) Ninoy Aquino Stadium 1–1
3 February 9, 2025 Barangay Ginebra L 87–94 Chris Newsome (22) Akil Mitchell (12) Banchero, Mitchell, Quinto (3) Ynares Center 1–2


Philippine Cup

Eliminations

Standings

Pos Team W L PCT GB Qualification
1 San Miguel Beermen 8 3 .727[a] Twice-to-beat in the quarterfinals
2 NLEX Road Warriors 8 3 .727[a]
3 Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots 8 3 .727[a]
4 Barangay Ginebra San Miguel 8 3 .727[a]
5 Converge FiberXers 7 4 .636 1 Twice-to-win in the quarterfinals
6 TNT Tropang 5G 6 5 .545[b] 2
7 Rain or Shine Elasto Painters 6 5 .545[b] 2
8 6 5 .545[b] 2
9 Phoenix Fuel Masters 4 7 .364 4
10 Blackwater Bossing 2 9 .182[c] 6
11 NorthPort Batang Pier 2 9 .182[c] 6
12 Terrafirma Dyip 1 10 .091 7
Source: PBA.ph
Rules for classification: 1) winning percentage; 2) if two teams are tied, head-to-head record; if three or more teams are tied, head-to-head goal average (quotient); if tied for 8th, one-game playoff; 3) overall quotient; 4) coin toss[2]
Notes:
  1. ^ a b c d Head-to-head quotient: San Miguel 1.06, NLEX 1.01, Magnolia 0.97, Barangay Ginebra 0.96
  2. ^ a b c Head-to-head quotient: TNT 1.13, Rain or Shine 1.02, Meralco 0.87
  3. ^ a b Head-to-head record: Blackwater 1–0 NorthPort

Game log

2025 PBA Philippine Cup game log
Total: 6–5
April: 2–3
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
1 April 4 Converge W 91–89 Chris Newsome (15) Raymond Almazan (12) Black, Newsome (4) Ninoy Aquino Stadium 1–0
2 April 6 Terrafirma W 118–80 CJ Cansino (19) Brandon Bates (8) Bong Quinto (5) Ninoy Aquino Stadium 2–0
3 April 9 San Miguel L 98–110 Chris Newsome (27) Black, Hodge (7) Chris Newsome (7) Rizal Memorial Coliseum 2–1
4 April 13 Phoenix L 97–109 Chris Newsome (18) Raymar Jose (17) Aaron Black (9) Ninoy Aquino Stadium 2–2
5 April 27 Rain or Shine L 116–128 Bong Quinto (23) Bates, Cansino, Hodge, Jose (6) Chris Newsome (7) Ynares Center 2–3
May: 4–2
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
6 May 9 NorthPort W 105–104 Chris Newsome (24) Cliff Hodge (14) Cliff Hodge (5) PhilSports Arena 3–3
7 May 11 TNT L 84–101 Cliff Hodge (23) Raymond Almazan (8) Newsome, Quinto (3) Ninoy Aquino Stadium 3–4
8 May 14 Magnolia L 92–117 Chris Banchero (20) Brandon Bates (6) Chris Newsome (4) Ninoy Aquino Stadium 3–5
9 May 21 Blackwater W 103–85 Chris Newsome (19) Alvin Pasaol (8) Aaron Black (6) Ynares Center 4–5
10 May 25 NLEX W 108–92 Chris Newsome (21) Brandon Bates (8) Chris Banchero (6) PhilSports Arena 5–5
11 May 30 Barangay Ginebra W 82–73 Chris Newsome (15) Brandon Bates (9) Banchero, Quinto (3) Smart Araneta Coliseum 6–5

Playoffs

Bracket

Quarterfinals
(Top 4 twice-to-beat)
Semifinals
(Best-of-7)
Finals
(Best-of-7)
1San Miguel108
897
1San Miguel4
4Barangay Ginebra3
4Barangay Ginebra88
5Converge80
1San Miguel0
6TNT1
2NLEX8992
7Rain or Shine92103
7Rain or Shine2
6TNT4
3Magnolia8879
6TNT8980

Game log

2025 PBA Philippine Cup playoffs game log
Total: 0–1
Quarterfinals: 0–1
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 June 20 San Miguel L 97–108 Chris Banchero (32) Chris Newsome (11) Chris Newsome (6) Ninoy Aquino Stadium 0–1

East Asia Super League

Group stage

Standings

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD PCT Qualification
1 Ryukyu Golden Kings 6 5 1 498 493 +5 .833 Advance to semifinals
2 New Taipei Kings 6 4 2 594 532 +62 .667
3 Macau Black Bears 6 3 3 582 579 +3 .500
4 Meralco Bolts 6 2 4 487 509 −22 .333
5 Busan KCC Egis 6 1 5 496 544 −48 .167
Source: EASL

Game log

2 October 2024 Meralco Bolts 97–85 Macau Black Bears Pasay
20:10 (PST) Scoring by quarter: 24–17, 19–22, 30–25, 24–21
Pts: Newsome 18
Rebs: Durham 11
Asts: Kennedy 7
Boxscore Pts: Artino, Cylla 23
Rebs: Artino 14
Asts: Chong Qui 4
Arena: Mall of Asia Arena
16 October 2024 Ryukyu Golden Kings 77–74 Meralco Bolts Okinawa
19:40 (JST) Scoring by quarter: 23–18, 28–17, 15–22, 11–17
Pts: Cooley, Law 18
Rebs: Law 12
Asts: Kishimoto, Law 5
Boxscore Pts: Kennedy 30
Rebs: Kennedy 12
Asts: Durham 5
Arena: Okinawa Arena
Attendance: 7,347
13 November 2024 Meralco Bolts 81–80 Busan KCC Egis Pasig
20:10 (PST) Scoring by quarter: 20–26, 22–27, 21–15, 18–12
Pts: Mitchell 33
Rebs: Mitchell 22
Asts: Kennedy 5
Boxscore Pts: Burton 26
Rebs: Williams 13
Asts: Burton 5
Arena: PhilSports Arena
18 December 2024 Busan KCC Egis 72–68 Meralco Bolts Busan
19:10 (KST) Scoring by quarter: 13–12, 18–19, 20–19, 21–18
Pts: Heo 31
Rebs: Burton 14
Asts: Burton 5
Boxscore Pts: Kennedy 23
Rebs: Mitchell 18
Asts: Newsome 4
Arena: Busan Sajik Gymnasium
Attendance: 1,644
22 January 2025 Meralco Bolts 71–89 Ryukyu Golden Kings Pasig
20:10 (PST) Scoring by quarter: 22–23, 19–27, 15–25, 15–14
Pts: Hodge, Kouame 13
Rebs: Hodge 7
Asts: Quinto 6
Boxscore Pts: Law 20
Rebs: Law, Kirk 8
Asts: Law 5
Arena: PhilSports Arena
12 February 2025 New Taipei Kings 106–96(2OT) Meralco Bolts Taipei
19:10 (TST) Scoring by quarter: 24–25, 18–19, 15–23, 21–11, Overtime: 13–13, 15–5
Pts: Sakakini 31
Rebs: Manigault 14
Asts: Jo. Lin 7
Boxscore Pts: Kennedy 21
Rebs: Mitchell 9
Asts: Mitchell 8
Arena: University of Taipei, Tian-Mu Campus Gymnasium

Basketball Champions League Asia

Group stage

Standings

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 Shabab Al Ahli 2 1 1 200 192 +8 3 Advance to Final phase
2 Meralco Bolts 2 1 1 184 187 −3 3
3 Utsunomiya Brex 2 1 1 191 196 −5 3
Source: FIBA
Rules for classification: 1) Tournament points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Head-to-head points difference; 4) Head-to-head points scored; 5) Overall points difference 6) Overall points scored; 7) Random draw

Game log

7 June
18:00
Shabab Al Ahli 101–87 Meralco Bolts
Scoring by quarter: 35–27, 18–29, 26–18, 22–13
Pts: Washington 40
Rebs: Hawley 8
Asts: Washington 6
Pts: Watson, Varnado 19
Rebs: Egbunu 11
Asts: Banchero 4
Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall, Dubai
Attendance: 278
Referees: Yevgeniy Mikheyev (KAZ), Chan Owe Shiong (MAZ), Taha Al-Hashedi (YEM)
8 June
18:00
Meralco Bolts 97–86 Utsunomiya Brex
Scoring by quarter: 20–18, 30–20, 27–27, 20–21
Pts: three players 17
Rebs: Egbunu 13
Asts: Varnado 6
Pts: Fotu 20
Rebs: Takeuchi 9
Asts: Newbill 8
Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall, Dubai
Attendance: 148
Referees: Wissam Zein (SYR), Taha Al-Hashedi (YEM), Ahmad Suleiman Alyousef (JOR)

Final phase

Quarter-finals

11 June
15:00
Meralco Bolts 78–83 Ulaanbaatar Xac Broncos
Scoring by quarter: 27–20, 15–20, 15–21, 21–22
Pts: Varnado 23
Rebs: Varnado 14
Asts: Watson 7
Pts: Miller 32
Rebs: Tshimanga 9
Asts: Miller 6
Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai
Referees: Wissam Zein (SYR), Mohammad Taha (JOR), Ahmad Suleiman Alyousef (JOR)

Transactions

Free agency

Subtractions

Player Number Position Reason New team Ref.
Diego Dario 4 Point guard Moving to MPBL Quezon Huskers (MPBL) [4]

Recruited imports

Tournament Name Debuted Last game Record Ref.
Governors' Cup Allen Durham August 18, 2024 (vs. Magnolia) September 30, 2024 (vs. Barangay Ginebra) 7–6 [5]
Commissioner's Cup Akil Mitchell November 29, 2024 (vs. Phoenix) February 9, 2025 (vs. Barangay Ginebra) 7–4 [6]
D. J. Kennedy December 6, 2024 (vs. Terrafirma) 1–0 [7]

References

  1. ^ "Baltazar is the Chosen One -- the top pick of Draft Class 2024". PBA.ph. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "ALL ABOUT THE PBA QUOTIENT". December 10, 2012.
  3. ^ "All about the PBA quotient". INQUIRER.net. December 10, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  4. ^ "156 former PBA players join 2025 MPBL season". Fastbreak.com.ph. March 10, 2025. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  5. ^ Terrado, Reuben (July 17, 2024). "Meralco welcomes back Allen Durham for season-opening Govs' Cup". spin.ph. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  6. ^ "Meralco Bolts bring in well-travelled Akil Mitchell as import". spin.ph. November 11, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  7. ^ Ramos, Gerry (December 5, 2024). "DJ Kennedy steps in as Meralco import for injured Akil Mitchell". Spin.ph. Retrieved December 5, 2024.