The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) announced yesterday that the province of Tarlac will field a team in the upcoming 6th season of the MPBL which is slated to open on March 23, 2024 in Calasiao, Pangasinan. Team Tarlac is owned by Mr. Nicanor "Nino" Reyes IV and it is the third brand new franchise that will join the league after Pangasinan and Abra announced their participation.
With just about three (3) weeks to go before the opening of the MPBL's 2024 season, forming a competitive team is definitely one of team Tarlac's priorities. It will be a big challenge for Tarlac to search for talents, especially homegrown players, as many players have already been signed by other teams.
As each team is required to sign up at least three (3) homegrown players, let's take a look at notable basketball players that team Tarlac may want to recruit in order to bolster its lineup. Here are some of the basketball players who hail from Tarlac. The information below were culled from open sources and credits as well to Basketball Zone.
NOTABLE PLAYERS FROM BATAAN
| Player | Height | Exp. |
|---|---|---|
| KG Canaleta | 6'6 (42 y.o) | PBA |
| Jake Pascual | 6'4 (35 y.o) | PBA |
| Jimbo Aquino | 6'3 (38 y.o) | PBA |
| Macky Escalona | 5'11 (39 y.o) | PBA |
| Ato Ular | 6'4 (28 y.o) | PBA |
| Jon Jon Gabriel | 6'6 (31 y.o) | PBA |
| Jericho De Guzman | 6'11 (34 y.o) | PBA |
| Sherwin Concepcion | 6'3 (27 y.o) | PBA |
| AC Soberano | 5'11 (29 y.o) | PBA |
| JM Calma | 6'6 | PBA |
| AJ Coronel | 6'2 | MPBL |
| Marlon Gomez | 6'3 | MPBL |
| Jayboy Solis | 6'5 | MPBL |
| Kobe Monje | 6'4 | MPBL |
| King Caralipio | 6'2 | MPBL |
| Roberto Bartolo | 6'6 | MPBL |
| Jojo Cunanan | 6'1 | MPBL |
| Dominic Dyrit | 6'1 (21 y.o) | NBTC |
| Earl Jaeron Sapasap | 6'2 (19 y.o) | NBTC |
| Russel Jay Liwanag | 6'0 (19 y.o) | NBTC |
| Joshua Ramirez | 6'3 (23 y.o) | PBA 3x3 |
Unfortunately for team Tarlac, a lot of the listed players above are no longer available as they are already committed with other teams. KG Canaleta is currently playing with Binan Tatak Gel in the PSL. Meanwhile, Ato Ular, King Caralipio and Sherwin Concepcion are still active in the PBA.
Jonjon Gabriel recently signed up with the Pangasinan Heatwaves for the 2024 season of the MPBL. Kobe Monje and AC Soberano are likewise hooked up with Manila Stars and San Juan Knights respectively.