No hard feelings.
That’s the sentiment of Gilas Pilipinas Women head coach Patrick Aquino, who lauded the players despite finishing fifth place in the 44th William Jones Cup last week in Taipei.
Aquino told DAILY TRIBUNE they were able to assess the positives and the negatives they needed to work on before the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup from 13 to 20 July in Shenzhen, China.
The Philippines finished the Jones Cup with a 1-4 win-loss record.
“As far as the team’s performance is concerned, I think we did good. We were the youngest team,” Aquino said.
“It was a very good experience for us. We have assessed what we need to do more and the advantages we can use.”
Going in the Jones Cup was a good proving ground for Gilas Women as they will be up against powerhouse squads in the Asia Cup.
The Philippines is in Group B with 2023 Asia Cup silver medalist Japan, bronze medalist Australia, and Lebanon.
Only the top team per group will go through the semifinal while the second and third best teams in the group will play one knockout game before reaching the semis.
With veterans Afril Bernardino, Andrea Tongco, Janine Pontejos and Chack Cabinbin yet to be cleared from their military duties, Aquino praised Vanessa de Jesus and Naomi Panganiban for learning fast and taking some of the scoring duties for the squad.
“The good thing is we can score even if we are young. Aside from that, we need veterans other than Jack. They are learning so fast and that’s a positive for us,” Aquino said.
“We need more veterans for this group of girls. More gelling is needed.”