Gilas Pilipinas Women head coach Pat Aquino wants his players to focus on what lies ahead as they see action in a crucial FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in China.
Gilas Pilipinas Women find themselves in a unique position ahead of their campaign in Shenzhen, China for the 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup with a younger, more inexperienced squad leading the way for the Philippines against powerhouse teams.
In an effort to look at the long term picture, Gilas Women head coach Pat Aquino and his coaching staff decided to focus on a more youthful team to go up against Group B foes Australia, Japan, and Lebanon as the Philippines tries to stay in Division A of the regional tournament.
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Led by two-time UAAP MVP Kacey Dela Rosa, the roster is flanked by collegiate players like Louna Ozar, Cielo Pagdulagan, Angel Surada, Kent Pastrana, and Yvette Villanueva. While two of the players — Naomi Panganiban and Sumayah Sugapong — are also graduates of the youth program.
Getting ready to turn a new leaf with the next generation of stars, Aquino said this was a decision with the future in mind.
“Yeah, I think it's part of the transition of having a team like this. It's good for the program because we have the transition from the youth program to the senior program. And I'm just happy that they're still here,” Aquino said last Thursday before the team flew to China.
“Jack [Animam], our senior member, will be guiding them. [She’s] a good leader. And hopefully, they come up and step up a little bit faster. Yun lang, yun lang mahihingi ko sa kanila. Step up a little bit faster so that the transition will not be that hard for them.”
[READ: Gilas Women’s Jack Animam tells younger players to play fearless vs bigger, better foes]
There will be a lot on the line for the young Gilas players when they step on the court for the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup.
Not only will they be fighting to prove they belong on the top-level competition in Asia, they are also vying for a spot in the qualifiers for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Germany.
Another reason is wanting to head into 2027 with a good record — especially since Manila was announced to be the host of the next FIBA Women's Asia Cup.
“This is not just a tournament. This is a big part of the tournament for a bigger picture. Especially coming in 2027, tayo ang host ng FIBA Asia Cup. It's a lot more pressure,” said Aquino.
“[It’s] a lot more tougher in a sense that we need to really do our part. Not just the coaching staff. Not just the management. But also the players,” he added.
While there won’t be any shortage of motivation, Aquino also reminded his current players to look at the whole journey that led the national team to where they are now.
Especially as older players like Afril Bernardino, Janine Pontejos, Chack Cabinbin, and Andrea Tongco miss out on roster spots due to availability complications, Aquino wants each player to know they are representing more than just themselves on Asia’s biggest stage.
“[I want them to be reminded of] the hard work of the other girls, the veterans that did [this] before. I think we've been trying to emphasize the pride and honor of representing the country,” he said.
Gilas Women open their FIBA Women’s Asia Cup stint against the Opals on Sunday, July 13.