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Wikipedia - Biñan Tatak Gel
The Biñan Tatak Gel is a Filipino professional basketball team based in Biñan, Laguna. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's South Division. They are one of five teams based in the Calabarzon region and play their home games at Alonte Sports Arena.
The team began play during the 2018–19 season as the Laguna Heroes. The original name references the national hero of the Philippines, Jose Rizal, who was born in Calamba. The team has also played in the Pilipinas Super League.
Biñan Tatak Gel is a name that is shared with multiple Biñan-based teams in the grassroots level, including its volleyball counterpart in the Maharlika Pilipinas Volleyball Association. The moniker itself is a nod to the city's vice mayor, Angelo "Gel" Alonte.
The Laguna/Biñan-based franchise also holds the longest-ever playoff drought in the MPBL, having missed the playoffs for four seasons from 2019 to 2023 before clinching a spot in 2024.
History
2018–2023: Original franchise
The Laguna Heroes joined the MPBL as one of sixteen expansion teams for the 2018–19 season. The team finished with a 10-15 record, finishing ninth in the South Division.
For the 2019–20 season, the team was renamed as the BIñan City Krah Heroes and later as Biñan City Luxxe White. The team finished in tenth with a 12-18 record, matching their winning percentage from last season.
Entering the 2021 Invitational, the team was renamed as Laguna Heroes Krah Asia, bringing back the team's old name. In the Invitational, the team lost in all of their group stage games. In the 2022 season, the team only won three of their 21 games, giving them the second-worst record in the division and third-worst in the league.
In 2023, the team was renamed to Laguna Krah Asia.
2023–present: Current franchise
In November 2023, a new team under the name Biñan Tatak Gel joined the Pilipinas Super League during the Pilipinas Super League for the 2023–24 President's Cup. The team is mainly composed of the former Imus SV Squad organization alongside members of the departing Pasig City MCW Sports team, including head coach Boyet Fernandez. With a 17–1 record, Biñan held the top seed that season. Despite making through the first two rounds, Biñan would eventually lose to the eventual champion Quezon Titans in the semifinals.
As the 2024 MPBL season began, the Tatak Gel team took over the Krah Asia's spot as Laguna's MPBL representatives.