For turning heads recently in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in France, the Philippines women’s basketball team is now ranked No. 30 — its best rating ever — in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).
Previoulsy, it was listed as No. 39 but after making waves at the Astroballe in Lyon, where Gilas Women won one of five games, it climbed nine notches.
Even without veteran center Jack Animam and rising guard Naomi Panganiban, the Philippines tallied its first-ever victory over a non-Asian squad after beating Colombia, 74-59, last Tuesday.
The Philippines finished fifth out of six teams in the qualifiers.
Head coach Patrick Aquino said he hopes the momentum for the squad continues to go upward as they focus on other major tournaments.
“Reflecting on this journey, I’ve been with the Gilas program for about a decade now. Seeing how we’ve grown and how we’ve competed at this level — it’s something we’ll cherish forever,” Aquino said.
“Winning our first game outside of Asia against a top-caliber team means a lot back home. This is probably the next step for us — to build more players into the program so we can continue competing and stay at this level.”
The Philippines cannot stay still as the 20th Asian Games will start on 19 September in Nagoya, Japan.
Luckily, Animam and Panganiban will be available in that particular time frame and they could join the squad.
Gilas Women will also defend home court as they host the FIBA Asia Cup next year in Manila. Ivan Suing