{{Short description|Filipino basketball player (born 1984)}} {{Infobox basketball biography | image = | image_size = 300px | caption = | name = Rob Labagala | position = | league = | team = | nationality = Filipino | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1984|07|05}} | birth_place = [[Talisay, Cebu]], Philippines | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 7 | weight_lbs = 170 | high_school = [[Cebu Institute of Technology – University|CIT]] ([[Cebu City]]) | college = [[UE Red Warriors basketball|UE]] | career_start = 2010 | career_end = 2015 | career_position = [[Point guard]] | draft_year_pba = 2010 | draft_round_pba = 2 | draft_pick_pba = 12 | draft_team_pba = [[Barangay Ginebra San Miguel|Barangay Ginebra Kings]] | coach_start = 2025 | years1 = 2010–2013 | team1 = [[Barangay Ginebra San Miguel|Barangay Ginebra Kings / Barangay Ginebra San Miguel]] | years2 = 2014 | team2 = [[Barako Bull Energy]] | years3 = 2014–2015 | team3 = [[Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters]] | cyears1 = 2025 | cteam1 = [[Basilan Viva Portmasters]] (assistant) | cyears2 = 2025 | cteam2 = [[San Sebastian Stags basketball|San Sebastian]] | awards = * [[List of Philippine Basketball Association champions|PBA champion]] ([[2015 PBA Commissioner's Cup|2015 Commissioner's]]) * [[PBA All-Rookie Team]] ({{pbay|2010}}) * [[Philippine Basketball Association|PBA]] Blitz Game Co-MVP ([[2011 PBA All-Star Weekend|2011]]) }} '''Roberts Raymond T. Labagala''' (born July 5, 1984) is a Filipino [[basketball]] coach and former professional player who served as the head coach for the [[San Sebastian Stags basketball|San Sebastian Stags]] of the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines)|National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Li |first=Matthew |date=2025-03-13 |title=Rob Labagala named new San Sebastian head coach, backed by Starhorse Shipping |url=https://tiebreakertimes.com.ph/tbt/rob-labagala-named-new-san-sebastian-head-coach-backed-by-starhorse-shipping/330694?fbclid=IwY2xjawJASktleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHSpSAZRTT0M17_-STuZvICH0r9cgK8ncM-N3FeN4FmFpxj-I0P8DhhmWXQ_aem_LXPzAOrg0Ka1V1n6hKcc4g#google_vignette |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=Tiebreaker Times |language=en-US}}</ref>. He last played for the [[Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters]] of the [[Philippine Basketball Association]] (PBA). Standing at 5 feet 7 inches, Labagala plays at the point guard position.
He played collegiate basketball at the [[University of the East]] where he was a benchwarmer who played the fewest minutes on the court. Shortly after graduating, he was picked with the 12th overall pick on the second round of the [[2010 PBA draft]] by the [[Barangay Ginebra Kings]]. He played short minutes on his rookie season due to the Kings' tight guard rotation. After his rookie season, he end up included in the All-Rookie team and being the [[2011 PBA All-Star Weekend|Rookie Blitz Game]] Most Valuable Player.
After three seasons with the Kings that was renamed to San Miguel on the last season of his tenure with the team, he was traded to the [[Barako Bull Energy]] for very similar [[Emman Monfort]]. As usual on his career, Labagala sat out mostly and played just 3 minutes per game in one season with the [[Barako Bull Energy|Energy]]. When Labagala's contract expired, he was left unsigned by his team and months later was signed by [[Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters]] where he won his first PBA championship.
==Early life and career== Labagala was born on 5 July 1984 on [[Talisay, Cebu]] where he was also raised.<ref name=micohalili /> He studied and played high school basketball at the [[Cebu Institute of Technology – University]]<ref name=micohalili>{{cite web|last1=Halili|first1=Mico|title=The Final Score: What is Ginebra's Little Robbie Labagala doing in the PBA Finals?|url=http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/219186/sports/the-final-score-what-is-ginebra-s-little-robbie-labagala-doing-in-the-pba-finals|website=GMA News|date=30 April 2011 |accessdate=April 30, 2011}}</ref>
Labagala played collegiate basketball for the [[University of the East]]'s [[UE Red Warriors basketball|Red Warriors]]. Because Labagala spent little time on the court, his chances of being scouted by PBA teams that could bring him to the country's premier league was much smaller.<ref name="Labagala">{{cite web |title=Rob Labagala's "Give Back" Basketball Camp |url=http://www.richarddy.com/rob-labagalas-give-back-basketball-camp/ |website=www.richarddy.com}}</ref> Labagala played the fewest minutes among the Red Warriors but was able to help the team's offensive capabilities through his passing ability and speed.
==Professional career==
===Barangay Ginebra Kings/San Miguel (2010-2014)=== Nobody thought that Labagala would set foot on a PBA court. His low playing time during his college years meant he was underrated. Labagala was among the oldest rookies in his class and the least-popular. Fortunately, he was picked with the twelfth overall pick of the [[2010 PBA draft]] by the country's most popular team which is the [[Barangay Ginebra Kings]].<ref name=micohalili /><ref name=Labagala /> Labagala poured in 8 points and 3 assists in his PBA debut in a loss against Alaska. He only played 19 games on his rookie season and poured almost 5 points and one assist per game. On his sophomore year, he played more games and more minutes and his statistics slightly went down to 3.87 in 14 minutes action per game.<ref name=PBAonline>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20111028064746/http://www.pba-online.net/profile/Robert-Labagala/426/ Player Profile]}} at PBA-Online!</ref> He helped the team in their playoff run on the [[2013 PBA Commissioner's Cup]]. The Kings went on the [[2013 PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals|finals]] one-time on his third season where they got swept in a best-of-five series.<ref name=micohalili />
== Coaching career == In 2025, Labagala is in the coaching staff of the [[Basilan Starhorse]]. The Basilan team is managed by Bernard Yang.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New PBA team on the way? MPBL's Starhorse looking to join Asia's oldest pro league |url=https://www.spin.ph/basketball/pba/mpbl-s-starhorse-looking-to-join-pba-a793-20250214 |access-date=2025-08-30 |website=Spin.ph |language=en}}</ref> Later that year, Yang became the general of the [[San Sebastian Stags basketball|San Sebastian Stags]] college team, and Labagala was named their head coach. Arvin Bonleon, the coach he is replacing, will become one of his assistants.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ex-PBA guard Labagala is new Stags coach |url=https://www.philstar.com/about-us/sports/2025/03/14/2428343/ex-pba-guard-labagala-new-stags-coach |access-date=2025-08-30 |website=Philstar.com}}</ref>
== Personal life == Labagala currently resides at [[Navotas]],<ref name="Labagala" /> his wife's hometown where he currently owns a pastry bakeshop named after him, Little Rob's Cake Haus. Labagala is involved in training the youth of Navotas for improvement, he launched his own basketball camp on 2013.<ref name="Labagala" /> Labagala is a [[Christianity|Christian]].<ref name="Labagala" />
==PBA career statistics== {{PBA player statistics legend}} <ref>{{Cite web |title=Robert Labagala Player Profile - PBA-Online.net |url=http://www.pba-online.net/profile/Robert-Labagala/426/ |website=PBA-Online.net|url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214044224/http://www.pba-online.net/profile/Robert-Labagala/426/ |archive-date=February 14, 2017 }}</ref>
===Season-by-season averages=== {{PBA player statistics start}} |- | align=left | {{pbay|2010}} | align=left | [[Barangay Ginebra San Miguel|Barangay Ginebra]] | 19 || 14.1 || '''.493''' || '''.481''' || .533 || .8 || 1.0 || '''.6''' || '''.1''' || '''4.7''' |- | align=left | {{pbay|2011}} | align=left | Barangay Ginebra | '''30''' || '''14.2''' || .429 || .281 || '''.850''' || '''1.2''' || '''1.5''' || .2 || .0 || 3.9 |- | align=left | {{pbay|2012}} | align=left | Barangay Ginebra | 29 || 8.5 || .384 || .188 || .500 || .3 || .6 || .2 || .0 || 2.6 |- | align=left | {{pbay|2013}} | align=left | [[Barako Bull Energy|Barako Bull]] | 9 || 11.3 || .419 || .000 || .250 || 1.1 || 1.1 || '''.6''' || .0 || 3.0 |- | align=left | {{pbay|2014}} | align=left | [[Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters|Talk 'N Text]] | 8 || 3.6 || .250 || .000 || .500 || .1 || .3 || .0 || .0 || .9 |-class=sortbottom | align=center colspan=2 | Career | 95 || 11.3 || .422 || .305 || .627 || .8 || 1.0 || .3 || .0 || 3.3 {{end}}
== Coaching record == {| class="wikitable" ! rowspan="2" |Season ! rowspan="2" |Team ! colspan="5" |Elimination round ! colspan="5" |Playoffs |- !Finish !GP !W !L !PCT !GP !W !L !PCT !Results |- |[[NCAA Season 101 basketball tournaments|2025]] |[[San Sebastian Stags basketball|SSC-R]] |5th/5 |13 |3 |10 |.231 | colspan="5" |Did not qualify |- ! colspan="3" |Totals !13 !3 !10 !.231 !0 !0 !0 !— !0 championships |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{2010 PBA draft}} {{Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters 2015 PBA Commissioner's Cup Champions}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Labagala, Rob}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Filipino men's basketball players]] [[Category:UE Red Warriors basketball players]] [[Category:1984 births]] [[Category:Basketball players from Cebu]] [[Category:People from Talisay, Cebu]] [[Category:Point guards]] [[Category:Barangay Ginebra San Miguel players]] [[Category:Barako Bull Energy players]] [[Category:TNT Tropang 5G players]] [[Category:Cebuano people]] [[Category:Barangay Ginebra San Miguel draft picks]] [[Category:21st-century Filipino sportsmen]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Navotas]] [[Category:San Sebastian Stags basketball coaches]] [[Category:Filipino men's basketball coaches]] [[Category:Basketball players from Navotas]]