Wikipedia - Navotas Uni-Pak Sardines
The Navotas Uni-Pak Sardines were a Filipino semi-professional basketball team based in Navotas. The team last played in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and played their home games at Navotas Sports Complex.
The team joined the league as a founding member for the 2018 season, going by the Navotas Clutch for its first two seasons. The team departed after the 2019–20 season, and as of 2023 is the only founding team that remains inactive.
History
The Navotas Clutch joined the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League as one of ten charter teams during its inaugural season. The team made the playoffs that season, but lost to the Muntinlupa Cagers in the quarterfinals. In the 2018–19 season, the team once again made the playoffs, but once again lost in the first round to the San Juan Knights.
The team changed its name to the Navotas Uni-Pak Sardines for the 2019-20 season, but ended up with a record of 7-22, the second-worst in the Northern Division. As of the 2023 season, Navotas is the only charter team that is currently inactive in the league.
Navotas Clutchs tränare är Rensy Bajar och lagets kapten är Mark Pangilinan. Lagets främsta spelare inkluderar också Eman Eman, Jaypee Belencion, Aris Dionisio och Joseph Sedurifa.
Navotas Clutch vann MPBL-mästerskapet 2018 efter att ha besegrat San Juan Knights i finalerna. Laget har också representerat Filippinerna i ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) och slutade som tvåa i ABL-mästerskapet 2019.
Navotas Clutch är ett populärt lag i Filippinerna och är kända för sin aggressiva spelstil och sitt starka försvar. Laget har en stor fanbase och stöds av många fans i Navotas City och i hela Filippinerna.