Gilas Women: A 3X3 odyssey

Wouldn’t it be ironic if, after 56 years of not qualifying for the Olympic basketball tournament, the Philippines makes it to the 2028 Los Angeles Games with a female 3X3 team and not a men’s five-on-five delegation? The Gilas Pilipinas Women survived a gauntlet, playing the FIBA Asia Cup and the FIBA 3X3 World Cup Qualifiers in successive weeks. According to GIlas Pilipinas 3X3 Women’s head coach Anton Altamirano, even they were surprised about the World Cup tournament.

“We were preparing for the FIBA Asia Cup when we found out we were playing in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers the following week already,” reveals Altamirano. “Our focus was the FIBA Asia Cup. We said, ‘Let’s see what happens next week.’”

Despite fatigue, the team went through the eye of the needle to make it to the World Cup. With no time to enjoy their historic silver medal in the FIBA Asia Cup, they went straight into battle against Brazil, where they fell short. Recovering quickly, they beat Singapore. When the latter shocked the tournament by upsetting the Brazilians, the Philippines surprisingly ended up at the top of their group. In the next round, they came up short against a very skilled Lithuania squad, setting up a rematch with Singapore for the last seat on the bus to Poland. The Filipinas steamrolled the host country to clinch the slot to the World Cup.

Unlike in full-court basketball, there is no coaching in 3X3. Coaches sit off to one side among the crowd. This meant that the national coaches had to be creative in trying to send out instructions to the players. They would scream in Filipino, pretending to cheer. Despite the ploy, they would inevitably get warnings from FIBA to tone it down or be more discreet. Altamirano, son of famed coaches Eric and Marissa, said it was a very stressful feeling of helplessness to not be directly with the players.

Now comes the hard part: The World Cup from June 1 to 7. The Gilas Women drew Group C, where they will be facing world number 7 Latvia and world No. 9 Germany. The group is rounded out by world No. 12 Italy and China. The teams will play a single-round robin, and the top teams advance to the next round. And now, basketballers around the world are aware of the world-class skills and unparalleled grit of Afril Bernardino and Kacey dela Rosa. It will mean another level of improvement and scouting. The work never stops. The national women’s team also has the luxury of having more talent to vary the line-ups for particular tournaments. But one thing is obvious: the squad needs more size.

Next year, things will be a little bit easier when naturalized player Elizabeth Means will officially be allowed to suit up for the country. The Gilas Women 3X3 national team will also see action in the Southeast Asian Games and Olympic qualifying events. But what keeps Altamirano ang company going is the belief in a higher purpose, which keeps them straight and true on their path.

“All of this would be empty without God,” he emphasizes. “I’m very proud of my players. I have a lot of players in the background that people don’t see. They’re all really good, and I’ve seen them grow as players and as people. That’s the fulfillment for me. I keep telling them that, more than that silver medal, more than the accomplishments, it’s the opportunity to coach them every single day, every single year. That’s the award for me.”

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Catch the full interview with Coach Anton Altamirano on Basketball Universe PHL online.