Vast pool of talents awaits Gilas women's squad

MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas women’s squad will soon have a vast pool of players to choose from in different international tournaments with an influx of overseas recruits following coach Pat Aquino’s fruitful scouting trip in US.

For the seasoned mentor, who is also the national women’s team program director, the development will only catapult the rising Gilas to new heights starting this busy 2021 after a quiet campaign last year due to the pandemic.

“There are many Filipino-Americans who want to play for the national team. For the future of women’s basketball, there will be a range of players we can tap to play for the country,” he said in The Chasedown program of One PH and Cignal.

“This opens the line not just for now but for the future of Gilas basketball back home.”

With the help of Fil-Am Nation Select's Cris Gopez, Aquino has traveled across the states and met with an array of Filipina US NCAA Division I talents led by Duke University’s Vanessa De Jesus and University of Pennsylvania’s Kayla Padilla.

Mixing them with local talents would be a huge lift as Gilas eyes stronger contention both in traditional 5-on-5 play and booming 3x3 discipline after a couple of success recently. 

“It will be a good problem to mix them and make a stronger team. We have a lot of talents in US and also back home,” added Aquino, referring to local aces Jack Animam, Afril Bernardino and Janine Pontejos among the few.

Soon, Aquino is hoping to assemble the beefed-up Gilas core in preparation for a title defense in the 2021 Vietnam SEA Games in November and invitation to the FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup in Hungary this summer.