Standouts during the recently-concluded 65th Palarong Pambansa in Ilocos Norte are being eyed to beef up the national team that is getting ready for this year’s FIBA U16 Women’s Asia Cup in Malaysia.

Head coach Julie Amos said she saw some potential recruits during the Palaro held in Laoag City.

Amos recently guided the National Capital Region to the Palarong Pambansa secondary girls basketball title a couple of weeks ago after a 78-42 victory over the Davao Region.

“We saw a lot of tall players during the Palarong Pambansa. They have potential and we have been monitoring their program so that hopefully, they will be part of the U16,” Amos said.

“Since we are competing in Division A, we really need to look for tall players. We’re going up against tough teams, especially powerhouse teams like China.”

“We are already practicing and we are just waiting for the other players from other regions. As early as now, we could see who will make it to the final 12.”

The Gilas Girls have a lot of work to do now with the likes of Naomi Panganiban and Ava Fajardo have all moved up to the higher age groups.

Apart from China, the Philippines will also face defending champion Australia, 2023 silver medalist Japan, and bronze medalist New Zealand.