Gilas Pilipinas Women are focused on winning the Southeast Asian Games gold medal following their solid performance in the FIBA Asia Cup in Shenzhen, China last week.
Gilas coach Patrick Aquino their sixth-place finish in the Asia Cup will be an added motivation for them to regain the title in the prestigious biennial meet that would be held in Bangkok from 9 to 20 December.
After lagging behind powerhouse Malaysia and Thailand, the Filipinas scored a breakthrough when they won the gold medal during the country’s hosting of the Games in 2019. They were able to defend the title in 2021 in Hanoi but got dethroned by Indonesia in the following edition of the Games in Cambodia in 2023.
This year, Aquino is confident that they have what it takes to win the crown with the right mixture of young guns and veteran stalwarts who gained a lot of confidence from their Asian campaign.
“It’s going to be a good momentum for us having to be the first (Southeast Asian country) or the only one in the top six of FIBA Asia. I’m just happy that we did that,” Aquino told DAILY TRIBUNE in a conversation.
“Hopefully, with the upcoming SEA Games, we’ll prove that we deserve to be the top team in Southeast Asia.”
After playing with a young lineup in the Asia Cup, the Filipinas will be marching with a complete cast in the biennial meet with veterans Afril Bernardino and Janine Pontejos expected to rejoin after getting clearance from the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Unfortunately, Filipino-American players like Vanessa de Jesus of University of Notre Dame, Naomi Panganiban of San Diego State, and Sumayah Sugapong of University of California-San Diego might skip the SEA Games due to their commitment in the US National Collegiate Athletic Association.
“Actually, we’re a bit pressured now for the fact that we might miss those who are playing in the NCAA, like Vanessa, Naomi, and Sumayah,” Aquino said, adding that he will tap college players to fill the void created by the absence of Fil-Am stars.
“We’re still ready with Afril coming back, Janine coming back, and maybe with the help from the UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines) teams, hopefully they’ll allow them to play for us in the upcoming SEA Games.”