Gilas Pilipinas Women head coach Pat Aquino believes in the promise of Filipino-American guard Vanessa de Jesus.
Gilas PIlipias Women guard Vanessa de Jesus is being recognized as a pivotal part of the national team after their sixth place finish at the 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in Shenzhen, China.
Already in her second foray into the team since her first appearance in the 2023 edition of the regional tournament, Gilas Women head coach Pat Aquino underscored the Notre Dame guard’s impact to the program.
[READ: Gilas Women falter late against Tall Ferns, finish 6th in FIBA Women's Asia Cup]
Having integrated into the system and established herself as one of the team’s most reliable players, Aquino said that there is much more that de Jesus can do with her time and talent in the national team.
“She’s incredible. She’s very consistent, good leader for the young girls. You know, she could do a lot more for the team, coming in. She could probably [bring] this team to another level in the near future,” Aquino said after their loss against New Zealand.
“I’m just happy to have her and hopefully all the girls back for the next coming cycle and just thankful that you know, we’ll still be part of this level and hopefully, try to get better.”
In her second run at the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup, de Jesus showed improvement across the board as she averaged 13.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in her five games in China.
With their run highlighted by a trip to the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament in March next year, there was already a lot to celebrate for de Jesus and company — especially since it meant that the Philippines will stay in the top division of the competition.
Gilas Pilipinas Women’s performance was made even more significant by the fact that the Philippines will be hosting the 2027 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup, which will set the stage for the continued rise of women’s basketball in the country.
After tapping into her Filipino heritage for another respectable run in Asia’s top-level basketball competition, de Jesus is eager for more.
“We’re a really young team. A lot of us, it’s the first time we’ve played together and I think we did a really good job just coming out there and playing as Filipinas and I’m really proud of our group and just kind of, excited to see where the future leads,” she said.
“For us, this is just a learning moment and just us, get better and prepare for the next time.” she added.