Basilan returned to the MPBL for the 2025 season.
With a new backer in Starhorse, led by Jackson Chua, Basilan made a splash by signing high-profile players, including Arwind Santos, Alex Cabagnot, Jervy Cruz, and Rabeh Al-Hussaini.
The team also boasted a strong coaching staff, led by Rich Alvarez and Rob Labagala.
The Starhorse-backed squad finished fourth in the South Division with a 29-18 record.
However, as the season progressed, allegations emerged that players and coaches had been left unpaid during the final months of the campaign. Demoralized, Basilan was eliminated in the quarterfinals by General Santos.
B-Steel Sports, the new management of the Basilan franchise, is familiar with the challenges the team faced last year.
“Regarding the status of the franchise before us, I’m not going to talk about them because I’m not allowed to speak for them. But this is a totally different management from last year,” Basilan executive director Matt David told Tiebreaker Times.
“We’re different from before, and now we’re returning because we saw an opening. As you know, there’s only one franchise allowed per province. So when we saw that opening, we decided to come back.”
B-Steel Sports previously managed Basilan during the 2019-20 season. That team advanced to the division finals but had to forfeit the deciding game against Davao Occidental due to COVID-19. The firm also secured a VisMin Super Cup title under Zamboanga Sibugay.
“With the renewed focus on sports, especially now with Steel Sports expanding from Basilan to Zamboanga to Manila, we want more franchises to take root. Especially with the success of Eumir Marcial being one of our athletes, we want a more holistic approach in terms of local representation in sports,” David continued.
“This is a total relaunch because it’s a completely different entity.”
Basilan will be led by Jvee Casio, with Eumir Marcial placed on the reserve list. Other key players include Gjerard Wilson, John Wilson, John Cantimbuhan, Ryan Costelo, Robin Roño, Jayson Grimaldo, Bobby Balucanag, and Tyrone Chan.
The team, coached by Arnold Oliveros, knows it faces a tough campaign, with powerhouses like Abra, San Juan, Caloocan, and Quezon already having a head start in signing top talent from the UAAP.
But the immediate goal is to erase the negative optics of the previous administration. Borrowing from the team’s original tagline, David vows to redefine Basilan.
“What we’re trying to do is reshape the image. We’re bringing back the tagline, Redefining Basilan. We first used it in 2019, and now in 2026, we’re using it again to redefine the image of the province as well as provincial sports.”
