Ilagan Isabela Cowboys
| Ilagan Isabela Cowboys | |
|---|---|
| 2025 Ilagan Isabela Cowboys season | |
| Division | North |
| Founded | February 1, 2025 |
| History | Ilagan Isabela Cowboys 2025–present |
| Arena | Capital Arena |
| Location | Ilagan, Isabela |
| Team colors | |
| Head coach | Louie Gonzalez |
| Championships | 0 |
| Division titles | 0 |
The Ilagan Isabela Cowboys are a Filipino professional basketball team based in Ilagan, Isabela. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North Division. The team plays its home games at 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 three teams based in Northern Luzon, alongside the Abra Solid North Weavers and Pangasinan Heatwaves.
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 |
Personnel
Current roster
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Head coaches
| Ilagan Isabela Cowboys head coaches | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Start | End | Achievements | Ref. |
| 1 | Louie Gonzalez | 2025 | current | — | [7] |
References
- ^ Hegina, Aries Joseph (May 17, 2015). "After head coach's lifetime ban, Cagayan Valley to quit PBA D-League". INQUIRER.net.
- ^ Terrado, Reuben (August 10, 2015). "Newly-formed PCBL intent on finding own niche in basketball market". spin.ph. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
- ^ Leongson, Randolph B. (January 22, 2022). "Marc Pingris named Pilipinas Super League commissioner". Spin.ph. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
- ^ "MPBL welcomes unlimited pros, expands with two new franchises". Tiebreaker Times. February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ "Ilagan City newest MPBL team when Season 7 opens on March 8". Spin.ph. January 16, 2025. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- ^ "MPBL cancels preseason tourney". Philstar.com. January 22, 2025. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
- ^ a b c Times, Tiebreaker (February 2, 2025). "Louie Gonzalez finds new home as Ilagan Isabela Cowboys join MPBL". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
- ^ 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.