Men's basketball team of De La Salle University
The De La Salle Green Archers are the collegiate men's basketball team of De La Salle University, which play in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the premiere sports league in the country.
History
La Salle was a pre-war founding member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 1924.[2] In September 1980, La Salle announced it would withdraw from competing in the NCAA after a violent game with the Letran Knights.[3] In 1986, La Salle was accepted as a member of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).[4]
La Salle won five NCAA basketball titles – 1939, 1947, 1956, 1971, and 1974. The Green Archers won the coveted National Seniors Open Championship, a league participated by top commercial and college teams, twice in 1939 and 1949.[5][6] After bolting out of the NCAA in 1981, it participated in various tournaments. The Green Archers won the 1983 PABL Championship and 1983 National Open title.[7] La Salle has won three inter-collegiate titles. The school won the 1988 Philippine Intercollegiate Championship. This was later reformatted to become the Collegiate Champions League (CCL), which then became the current Philippine Collegiate Championship League (PCCL) with La Salle winning the championship in 2008 and 2013.[8][9]
Since joining the UAAP in 1986, the Green Archers have won 10 UAAP basketball titles – 1989, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2013, 2016, and 2023. La Salle's basketball program is known for having won four straight UAAP championship titles from 1998 to 2001.[10] The Green Archers are also known for sharing a rivalry with other competitive teams in the UAAP, especially with the Ateneo Blue Eagles, UST Growling Tigers, and FEU Tamaraws.[11] The most recent championship is the 2023 UAAP Season 86 title, where La Salle defeated the UP Fighting Maroons during the best-of-three series, having lost Game 1 but came back and won Games 2 & 3.[12][13][14]
Prior to the start of the UAAP season, the Green Archers participate in the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup where they have won four titles, the latest being the 2016 championship.[15][16][17] The Green Archers participated in the Buddha Light International Association (BLIA) Cup, where they last won the championship in 2017.[18][19] The Green Archers have also participated in the PBA D-League Aspirants' Cup as EcoOil-La Salle, where they have won three straight championships.[20][21]
Season-by-season records
Until 1997, the UAAP primarily ranked the teams by tournament points using FIBA's method. Starting in 1998, the UAAP primarily ranked by winning percentage. There's no difference in ranking once all games were played, but in the middle of the season, rankings made by these two methods may differ.
Until 1997
Season
|
League
|
Elimination round
|
Playoffs
|
Pos
|
GP
|
W
|
L
|
Pts
|
GP
|
W
|
L
|
Results
|
1987
|
UAAP
|
5th/8
|
14
|
6
|
8
|
20
|
Did not qualify
|
1988
|
UAAP
|
2nd/8
|
14
|
11
|
3
|
25
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
Lost Finals vs Ateneo
|
1989
|
UAAP
|
2nd/8
|
14
|
11
|
3
|
25
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
Won Finals vs FEU
|
1990
|
UAAP
|
1st/8
|
14
|
11
|
3
|
25
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
Won Finals vs UE
|
1991
|
UAAP
|
1st/8
|
14
|
12
|
2
|
26
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
Lost Finals vs FEU[a]
|
1992
|
UAAP
|
1st/8
|
14
|
11
|
3
|
25
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
Lost Finals vs FEU
|
1993
|
UAAP
|
3rd/8
|
14
|
8
|
6
|
22
|
No playoffs held[b]
|
1994
|
UAAP
|
1st/7
|
12
|
10
|
2
|
22
|
4
|
2
|
2
|
Lost Finals vs UST
|
1995
|
UAAP
|
2nd/8
|
14
|
10
|
4
|
24
|
4
|
2
|
2
|
Lost Finals vs UST
|
1996
|
UAAP
|
1st/8
|
14
|
11
|
3
|
25
|
3
|
1
|
2
|
Lost Finals vs UST
|
1997
|
UAAP
|
3rd/8
|
14
|
10
|
4
|
24
|
4
|
2
|
2
|
Lost Finals vs FEU
|
Since 1998
Season
|
League
|
Elimination round
|
Playoffs
|
Pos
|
GP
|
W
|
L
|
PCT
|
GB
|
GP
|
W
|
L
|
Results
|
1998
|
UAAP
|
1st/8
|
14
|
13
|
1
|
.929
|
—
|
4
|
3
|
1
|
Won Finals vs FEU
|
1999
|
UAAP
|
1st/8
|
14
|
11
|
3
|
.786
|
—
|
5
|
4
|
1
|
Won Finals vs UST
|
2000
|
UAAP
|
1st/8
|
14
|
12
|
2
|
.857
|
—
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
Won Finals vs FEU
|
2001
|
UAAP
|
1st/8
|
14
|
12
|
2
|
.857
|
—
|
4
|
3
|
1
|
Won Finals vs Ateneo
|
2002
|
UAAP
|
1st/8
|
14
|
13
|
1
|
.929
|
—
|
4
|
2
|
2
|
Lost Finals vs Ateneo
|
2003[c]
|
UAAP
|
4th/8
|
14
|
7
|
7
|
.500
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
Lost semifinals vs Ateneo
|
2004[c]
|
UAAP
|
2nd/8
|
14
|
10
|
4
|
.714
|
1
|
5
|
4
|
1
|
Won Finals vs FEU
|
2005[c]
|
UAAP
|
2nd/8
|
14
|
10
|
4
|
.714
|
2
|
3
|
1
|
2
|
Lost Finals vs FEU
|
2006[c]
|
UAAP
|
Suspended
|
2007
|
UAAP
|
2nd/8
|
14
|
9
|
5
|
.643
|
5
|
5
|
4
|
1
|
Won Finals vs UE
|
2008
|
UAAP
|
2nd/8
|
14
|
10
|
4
|
.714
|
3
|
4
|
2
|
2
|
Lost Finals vs Ateneo
|
2009
|
UAAP
|
6th/8
|
14
|
5
|
9
|
.357
|
8
|
Did not qualify
|
2010
|
UAAP
|
4th/8
|
14
|
8
|
6
|
.571
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
Lost semifinals vs FEU
|
2011
|
UAAP
|
6th/8
|
14
|
5
|
9
|
.357
|
8
|
Did not qualify
|
2012
|
UAAP
|
4th/8
|
14
|
9
|
5
|
.643
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
Lost semifinals vs Ateneo
|
2013
|
UAAP
|
2nd/8
|
14
|
10
|
4
|
.714
|
—
|
5
|
4
|
1
|
Won Finals vs UST
|
2014
|
UAAP
|
3rd/8
|
14
|
10
|
4
|
.714
|
1
|
3
|
1
|
2
|
Lost semifinals vs FEU
|
2015
|
UAAP
|
5th/8
|
14
|
6
|
8
|
.429
|
5
|
Did not qualify
|
2016
|
UAAP
|
1st/8
|
14
|
13
|
1
|
.929
|
—
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
Won Finals vs Ateneo
|
2017
|
UAAP
|
2nd/8
|
14
|
12
|
2
|
.857
|
1
|
4
|
2
|
2
|
Lost Finals vs Ateneo
|
2018
|
UAAP
|
5th/8
|
14
|
8
|
6
|
.571
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
Lost 4th seed playoff vs FEU
|
2019
|
UAAP
|
5th/8
|
14
|
7
|
7
|
.500
|
7
|
Did not qualify
|
2020[d]
|
UAAP
|
Season canceled
|
2021[e]
|
UAAP
|
3rd/8
|
14
|
9
|
5
|
.643
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
Lost semifinals vs UP
|
2022
|
UAAP
|
5th/8
|
14
|
7
|
7
|
.500
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
Lost 4th seed playoff vs Adamson
|
2023
|
UAAP
|
2nd/8
|
14
|
11
|
3
|
.786
|
1
|
4
|
3
|
1
|
Won Finals vs UP
|
- ^ La Salle originally won Game 1 of the Finals, but FEU immediately put the game under protest as disqualified player Tonyboy Espinosa still played for a few seconds after being called for his fifth foul. The UAAP granted FEU's protest and ordered a replay, but La Salle did not show up in the replayed game. The UAAP then awarded FEU the game, and the title, by forfeit.
- ^ UST won all elimination round games. Based on the rules at that time, they were then named automatic champions, and other teams were ranked by elimination round finish.
- ^ a b c d La Salle admitted to having two players on their roster being ineligible from 2003 to 2005. The UAAP took away La Salle's 2004 championship and 2005 runner-up trophies, reversed all of their wins, and suspended them for the 2006 season.
- ^ Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- ^ Season postponed to early 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.