Barako Bull Energy
Barako Bull Energy | |||
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Founded | 2002 | ||
Dissolved | Sold in 2016 | ||
History | FedEx Express (2002–2005) Air21 Express (2005–2009, 2010–2011) Burger King Titans/Whoppers (2009–2010) Barako Bull Energy Cola (2012–2013) Barako Bull Energy (2011–2012, 2013–2016) | ||
Team colors | Red, Black, Yellow, White | ||
Company | Energy Food and Drinks Inc. | ||
Head coach | Koy Banal | ||
Ownership | Alberto D. Lina | ||
Championships | None 1 Finals Appearance | ||
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The Barako Bull Energy were a Philippine Basketball Association team that began in 2002 as the FedEx Express.
From its first season until 2005, the team was dubbed as the FedEx Express before changing to Air21 Express. From the 2009 PBA Fiesta Conference until the 2009–10 PBA Philippine Cup, it became known as the Burger King Titans. However, when manager Mikee Romero decided to pull out of the team, they were reorganized and renamed the Burger King Whoppers before returning to their original name starting the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference.
However, Air21 changed its name to Barako Bull Energy after the Lina Group bought the original Barako Bull franchise and 49 percent stake of Energy Food and Drinks Inc., the owner of the Barako Bull franchise and the exclusive distributor of Red Bull Energy Drink products in the Philippines. They added the word 'cola' to their team name in order to promote their new softdrink product.
Barako Bull is owned by Energy Food and Drinks Inc., a subsidiary of the Linaheim Corporate Services, owners of the defunct Laguna Lakers of the Metropolitan Basketball Association. The franchise bought the former Tanduay team after the 2001 season.
History
Tanduay Rhum Masters
The Tanduay Rhum Masters made its PBA return in the 1999 season, after a 12-year hiatus. This time, the team had a new ownership in Asia Brewery of Lucio Tan's son, Bong (The Tanduay team in the 1970s and 80s was owned by the Elizalde family). After a runner-up finish in the 1999 All-Filipino Conference, the Rhum Masters failed to advanced in the finals since. To add insult, the deportation of alleged fil-sham Sonny Alvarado and the indefinite suspensions of Eric Menk and Rudy Hatfield (due to lack of documents to prove themselves as a legitimate Fil-American), the management became frustrated.
After the 2001 season, the firesale began as Tanduay traded Dondon Hontiveros to
Technically, the old Tanduay franchise and the current Burger King team's lineage were pulled apart as did most of the other PBA teams (Tanduay/Purefoods, Crispa/Shell, et al.).
2002–2005: FedEx Express
After the purchase, they named the team as the FedEx Express. The Express moniker was used as a reference to their company's role in fast-paced delivery.
In the 2001 PBA Draft, the Express held the first overall pick in the draft. Initially, the FedEx expressed its desire to draft
Many-time amateur and commercial league champion coach Derrick Pumaren was named as the first head coach of the FedEx team. He was the last coach of the Tanduay franchise in the PBA before it was absorbed by FedEx.
Former Tanduay forward
FedEx's first-ever match was an opening game against the
Ritualo was named as the Rookie of the Year after the season, to spark a promising future for the team.
In 2003, the Express nabbed former MBA MVP John Ferriols in the draft. The Express finished with an impressive second place in the elimination round of the All-Filipino Cup. In the quarterfinals, the Express failed to enter the semis after finishing last place of the single-round robin quarterfinals phase.
Their performance in the All-Filipino earned the team an early entry to the PBA Invitational tournament. The Express placed third in the special tournament, earning the team its first trophy in the league.
In the Reinforced Conference, the Express bannered Terrence Shannon as import. However, in the opening round, they were eliminated by San Miguel. During the said tournament, Pumaren was fired and was replaced by former Lakers coach Bonifacio "Bonnie" Garcia.
During the
Meneses was then shipped to the Red Bull Barako during the off season for Homer Se and a draft pick.
In the 2004–2005 Philippine Cup, the Express once again finished fourth in the classification phase and was eliminated early by the Alaska Aces.
Lipa resigned after the tournament and was replaced by former Filipino mentor of the Indonesian national team Bong Ramos. They also fielded former NBA veteran Oliver "Pig" Miller for the Fiesta Conference.
The Express finished fifth in the classification phase. It was highlighted by Renren Ritualo's eight three-pointers in a quarter during a game. However, in the Wild-Card phase, they were eliminated by
2005–2009: Air21 Express
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During the off season, the Express renamed the team to the Air21 Express after FedEx left the country. Ramos resigned at season's end due to his failure to imply the team's policy. However, many believed that there were other reasons for his resignation.
Former
But Air21 made a strong showing in the
In the Philippine Cup, the Express acquired
However, since the Ritualo trade, the Express went 3–1 the rest of the classification phase to finish with a 7–9 record. The surge saw the improvement of Air21 rookie Canaleta, who had multiple 30-point games during the streak. However, the Express failed to beat the
2006–07 season
In the off season, the Express acquired Aries Dimaunahan and
After a so-so performance at the Philippine Cup, the Express eked out a 7–11 record, good enough for a return trip to the wildcard phase. Needing to sweep all of the games in order to force a playoff for a quarterfinal berth, the Express defeated all wildcard teams. In the elimination game against Sta. Lucia, the Express came up short as they were beaten 121–118 via overtime.
Before the start of the wildcard phase, Air21 sent Yancy de Ocampo and Leo Avenido to Talk 'N Text for rookies Mark Andaya and Abby Santos plus future draft picks.
Air21 also had talks with former Senator and the PBA's Living Legend Robert Jaworski to either accept a capacity within the team or as a head coach before he beg off prior to the start of the Fiesta Conference.
Still, the Express finished with a 10–8 record for fifth place in the standings with Shawn Daniels as import. At one point, Air21 was 7–3 before losing five of their last eight games, before beating San Miguel in a one-game playoff for the third outright quarterfinals berth.
The
2007–08 season
The off season saw Air21 selecting Ateneo teammates
The buzz about Jaworski coaching the team once again came to light but the 'Living Legend' did not made any decision on it. This kept Perasol as head coach for the 2007–08 season. The Express had a rocky
In the ensuing wildcard phase, the Express eliminated the defending champions
In the 2008 PBA Fiesta Conference, the team, bannered by 6-ft 9-in hulking import Steve Thomas with
2008–09 season
On December 17, 2008, Ranidel de Ocampo was unexpectedly traded from Air21 in exchange for Don Allado, and a first-round pick in 2012.[1] During the Philippine Cup eliminations, they ended up 8–10 and bowed out to the San Miguel Beermen in the wildcard. In the next conference, they changed their name to the Burger King Titans and an all-new coaching staff was formed consisting of Yeng Guiao, Junel Baculi, Roehl Nadurata, and Jorge Gallent.
On January 26, 2009, they traded
Burger King Titans
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A day after the 3-way trade with the
As part of the competitive change,
Burger King Whoppers (2009–2010)
Burger King Whoppers | |
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However, barely three months after controlling the franchise, Romero handed back the team to Lina after Harbour failed to close out a deal with the Metro Pacific Company in the selling of its port company to
Baguio, Se, Cruz Traded to SMC Teams
Cyrus Baguio, reportedly unhappy in Burger King, was dealt to the Barangay Ginebra Kings along with bruiser Homer Se for future picks while Celino Cruz was shipped to the Purefoods TJ Giants for forward Aaron Aban.[4]
Sharma and Alonzo Trade
Burger King traded Richard Alonzo to Barako Bull for Carlo Sharma.[5]
Arwind Santos to San Miguel Beermen
Burger King marquee player Arwind Santos was traded to San Miguel for Marc Pingris and Ken Bono, and San Miguel's 2010 first-round pick. Pingris was also an original member of the team being the third overall pick in the Draft. He played one season for the team before being shipped to Purefoods. He was then traded to San Miguel for Enrico Villanueva. Bono, a one-time UAAP Most Valuable Player, first played for Alaska before he was traded to SMB. During the 2008-2009 PBA Season, Santos played a total of 44 games, averaging 16.18 points (6th overall), 7.75 rebounds (9th), 1.11 blocks (4th) shot 70.8% from the freethrow line and 40.4% from the field in 31.73 minutes (12th) per game.
Japeth traded to TNT, then released back to Gilas
After playing a single game for the Whoppers, Aguilar was traded from the Burger King Whoppers as he was forwarded to the
Wynne Arboleda incident
Another incident, this time involving its team captain and son-in-law of its team owner, put the Whoppers into the sports headlines once more. On October 16, 2009, during their game against Aguilar and
Three days later, PBA Commissioner Sonny Barrios suspended him for the rest of the 2009–2010 season without pay effective immediately, on top of any possible court case Katigbak would file against him as a result of the assault. The suspension is said to be the league's heaviest sanction to date. In addition, he was fined PhP20,000 for the two flagrant 1 fouls he committed, and was blacklisted from attending PBA games during the period of his suspension.[7]
Air21 Express (2010–2011)
After finishing 7th in the
Blockbuster Trade
On March 2, 2011, the
Barako Bull era (2011–2016)
After the sale of the majority share of the Energy Food and Drinks, a subsidiary of Photokina Marketing that exclusively distributed
On November 16, the
On September 8, 2012, it was announced that they will play under the moniker Barako Bull Energy Cola.
On April 3, 2013, NBA player DJ Mbenga signed with the Barako Bull Energy.
2013–14 season
Before the start of the 39th PBA season, Barako Bull was the subject of all the criticism from league pundits and social media, because of the questionable personnel moves made during the off-season. They terminated
As a matter of fact, they were projected to finish dead last in the conference, yet they proved their doubters wrong. They finished sixth in the 2013–14 PBA Philippine Cup with 5–9 record,[11] earned a playoff spot and the right to face Petron Blaze Boosters in their best of three quarterfinal series. They were swept by the Boosters.
In the midst of 2013–14 PBA season Siot Tanquingcen took over as the Barako Bulls new head coach replacing Bong Ramos, However, just 2 days before the start of the 2014–15 PBA Philippine Cup The Barako Bulls management decided to part ways with Tanquinsen sighting professional differences, Assistant Coach Koy Banal was named the new head coach. The team also has been involved in a series of trades first sending sophomore
Sale of franchise to Phoenix Petroleum
In January 2016, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc. had sealed a deal with Barako Bull for the team's transfer of ownership costing 100 million pesos.[12] The PBA Board of Governors unanimously approve the sale on January 20. In addition, the board also got the green light to Phoenix to play in the 2016 PBA Commissioner's Cup instead of waiting until the 2016-17 PBA season.[13]
Relationship with San Miguel Corporation (SMC) owned teams
Barako Bull has been often criticized for its transactions with San Miguel Corporation-owned franchises (
Mascot
"Captain Bull" was the mascot of the Energy. He was also the mascot of the original Red Bull/Barako Bull franchise since their first season in 2000.
Final roster
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Season-by-season records
- Records from the 2014–15 PBA season:
Conf. |
Team name | Elimination round | Playoffs | |||||
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Finish | W | L | PCT | Stage | Results | |||
PHI | Barako Bull Energy | 9th/12 | 4 | 7 | .364 | Quarterfinals 1st Phase | Talk 'N Text * def. Barako Bull in 1 game
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COM | 7th/12 | 5 | 6 | .455 | Quarterfinals | Talk 'N Text** def. Barako Bull in 1 game | ||
GOV | 6th/12 | 6 | 5 | .545 | Quarterfinals | Rain or Shine** def. Barako Bull in 1 game | ||
Elimination round | 18 | 15 | .545 | — | 0 semifinal appearances | |||
Playoffs | 0 | 3 | .000 | — | 0 Finals appearances | |||
Cumulative records | 18 | 18 | .500 | — | 0 championships | |||
Total franchise | 230 | 320 | .418 | — | 0 championships |
*one-game playoffs
**team had the twice-to-beat advantage
Players of note
Members of the PBA's 25 greatest players
- Jerry Codiñera - played for FedEx from 2002 to 2005
- Vergel Meneses - played for FedEx from 2002 to 2004
Other notable players
- Gary David - played for Air21/Burger King from 2005 to 2009. Air21 Express Franchise' All-Time Leading Scorer.
- Paul Alvarez - played for FedEx in 2002.
- Dindo Pumaren (San Beda) - played his last PBA season with FedEx in 2002.
- Yancy de Ocampo - played for FedEx/Air21 franchise from 2002 to 2004, 2005–2006; team's first-ever draft choice and had two stints with the team.
- Ren-Ren Ritualo(La Salle) - played for FedEx/Air21 franchise from 2002 to 2006.
- Marc Pingris - played for FedEx franchise from 2004 to 2005.
- John Ferriols - played for FedEx franchise from 2004 to 2005.
- Ronald Tubid - played for FedEx/Air21 franchise from 2005 to 2006.
- Ranidel De Ocampo- played for FedEx/Air21 franchise from 2004 to 2008.
- Cyrus Baguio - played for Burger King Whoppers for 2009
- Arwind Santos - played for Air21 Express/Burger King Whoppers from 2006 to 2009
Imports
- Steven Thomas– led Air21 to its first finals appearance in the 2007–2008 season since entering the league in 2002
- Shawn Daniels – led Air21 to a third-place finish in the 2005–06 Fiesta Conference
- Alvin Jefferson – known for breaking the Araneta Coliseum backboard in a preseason game but played only two games in the 2004 Fiesta Conference
- Franz Pierre-Louis – played for FedEx in the 2002 Commissioners Cup
- Evan Brock – played 2013 Governor's Cup
- Oliver Miller – played for FedEx in the 2005 Fiesta Conference
- Roderick Rhodes – one of the first two imports in team history
- Geremy Robinson – played as a replacement import for one game
- Terrence Shannon – played for FedEx in the 2003 Reinforced Conference
- Jermaine Walker – played for FedEx in the 2002 season
Coaches
- Derrick Pumaren (2002–2003)
- Bonnie Garcia (2003–2004)
- Joe Lipa (2004–2005)
- Bong Ramos (2005, 2011, 2012–2014)
- Bo Perasol (2005–2009)
- Yeng Guiao (2009–2011)
- Junel Baculi (2011–2012)
- Siot Tanquingcen (2014)
- Koy Banal (2014–2016)
References
- ^ "Philippine Basketball Association - TROPANG TEXTERS WELCOME RANIDEL WITH 24-POINT ROUT OF KINGS". Archived from the original on January 31, 2009. Retrieved January 16, 2009.
- ^ Romero’s group out of Burger King, Lina Group takes control anew, GMANews.tv
- ^ Baculi stays with Burger King, Gallent goes to Purefoods, GMANews.tv
- ^ [1], Ngetstudio.com
- ^ [2], Gmanews.tv
- ^ Whoppers prove life goes on sans Japeth
- ^ PBA suspends Arboleda for rest of the season
- ^ Name dropping: Burger King is Air21 again, GMANews.tv
- ^ "Breaking its silence, Barako Bull sticks with Ramos as coach, explains Toroman departure".
- ^ "Barako insists trading away draft picks part of 'team strategy'".
- ^ "Vindication for Ramos as much-maligned Barako Bull proves doubters wrong".
- ^ Beltran, Nelson (January 19, 2016). "Barako Bull, Phoenix agree on sale of PBA franchise". The Philippine Star. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ^ PBA Board OKs sale of Barako Bull, PBA.inquirer.net, January 20, 2016
- ^ PBA board approves sale of Barako Bull franchise to Phoenix Petroleum, spin.ph, January 20, 2016
- ^ Air 21 leads the clusterfuck that was the 2010 PBA rookie draft Archived January 19, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Jaemark Tordecilla, firequinito.com, August 29, 2010
- ^ Air 21--the whole team--for sale to SMC? Archived January 28, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Jaemark Tordecilla, firequinito.com, February 28, 2011
- ^ The Middleman, By: Cholo Evangelista, SLAM Philippines, February 2, 2015