Gilas Pilipinas Women veteran Afril Bernardino will carry the lessons she learned in Singapore as they prepare for the FIBA 3x3 World Cup in Poland in June.
Bernardino said the World Cup Qualifiers was a humbling experience for them as a few experiences taught her not to let her guard down during each game.
The Philippines secured a ticket to the World Cup after beating the Singaporeans, 21-10, in the loser’s final last week and joined Lithuania and Hungary as the last teams to book a spot in Poland.
“Maybe it was just mentally that we were overconfident that we could beat Lithuania. But I think we were rained on, we were short in that part. We didn’t read their offense properly,” Bernardino said.
“That was the first time we faced those teams so at least we learned the lessons we needed when we face them again.”
Bernardino, who last competed in the World Cup in 2018, said she will rely on the tactics from coach Anton Altamirano and the chemistry of her teammates such as Kacey dela Rosa and Mikka Cacho.
“It was difficult, but still our communication inside the court was there to pull each other up when we were together. It just felt good because we did what Coach Anton was doing to make our country proud,” Bernardino said.
“Personally, I can’t imagine what I felt at that time. I don’t know if it was pressure or overwhelming because of course we all sacrificed for it.” I. Suing