The Gilas Pilipinas Women talent pipeline is overflowing.
Talent is coming in droves for Gilas Pilipinas Women.
On the heels of the much-anticipated Gilas Women debut of Vanessa de Jesus in the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in June, two more highly touted recruits—Malia Bambrick and Kacey Dela Rosa will be making their own debuts for the national team, this time in the 42nd William Jones Cup.
Bambrick, like de Jesus, comes with US NCAA Division 1 basketball pedigree, having played four seasons for the Pepperdine Waves, where she averaged 9.6 points per game on 35.2% shooting from beyond the arc. In all, the 5-foot-10 guard played 111 games for the Waves and finished with 1,070 points (21st in school history), 165 triples (4th all time), and 3,458 minutes (9th).
Dela Rosa, on the other hand, is from the Ateneo Blue Eagles—the same team Gilas Women mainstay Jhazmin Joson also plays in. The 6-footer first showcased her wares in Season 85 of the UAAP women’s basketball tournament, where she averaged eye-popping numbers of 16.42 points, 14.08 rebounds, and 3.08 blocks en route to winning Rookie of the Year honors and garnering a place in the Mythical Team alongside Joson.
Joining Bambrick and Dela Rosa will be Fil-Ams Stefanie Berberabe and Gabi Bade, both of whom suited up for Gilas Women in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam back in 2022. Joson is also part of the Jones Cup roster, along with old reliables Jack Animam, Afril Bernardino, and Janine Pontejos. Rounding out the team are Andrea Tongco, Sofia Roman, Louna Ozar, and Monique Del Carmen.
(GM)