Professional basketball team in Rizal, Philippines
This article is about the men's basketball team. For the women's volleyball team previously under the same name, see Rizal St. Gerrard Charity Foundation.
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Head coach
Ralph Rivera
The Rizal Golden Coolers, also known as the Rizal Xentromall Golden Coolers for sponsorship reasons, are a Filipino professional basketball team based in the province of Rizal. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North Division. They are one of five teams based in the Calabarzon region and play their home games at Ynares Center in Antipolo.
The team began play during the 2018–19 season as the Rizal Crusaders. Team ownership said that the name was chosen as the province of Rizal is known for "crusades, mountaineering, and other stuff". Originally, the team was going to be called the Rizal Ankle Breakers, but was changed due to criticism that the name didn't have any relation to the province of Rizal.[1][2]
History
Logo of the Rizal Golden Coolers used during the 2022 season.
Rizal struggled during its first two seasons, ending up with the worst record of the division in both instances. In the 2018–19 season, the team finished 7-18, last place in the Southern Division. In the 2019–20 season, the team finished 7-22, last place in the Northern Division.
Despite struggling in the 2021 Invitational, with a record of 1-4, the team rose up in the 2022 season. The Golden Coolers finished the season 10-11, earning a playoff appearance for the first time. As the sixth seed, they upset the third-seed Sarangani in the First Round, but would go on to be swept by Batangas City in the Division Semifinals,
Home arenas
The Rizal-based team's main arena is the Ynares Center, located in Antipolo. In 2023, the team played its first game outside Anitpolo, heading to Cainta to play at One Arena.
