THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL women’s basketball team sees action at the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2019 next month in India with an eye on doing well and keeping its Division A status.
Promoted to the top division of the Women’s Asia Cup in 2015, Gilas Pilipinas Women’s, formerly named Perlas Pilipinas, has since kept its position and looking to remain in the company of the top teams in the world when it plunges back into action in the Cup set for Sept. 24 to 29 in Bangalore.
The Philippines, 47th-ranked in the world, opens its bid in Group B along with world number 3 Australia, China (7th) and New Zealand (42nd).
Playing in Group A, meanwhile, are Japan (10th), South Korea (18th), Chinese Taipei (39th) and host India (45th).
Tournament format calls for the teams playing three games in each grouping in the opening round with the top teams advancing outright to the semifinals.
The next two teams from each group then play in a crossover quarterfinals for a spot in the semifinals.
Teams finishing last in their groups will go head to head with the winner maintaining their Division A status.
Heading into the tournament, Gilas Pilipinas Women’s coach Patrick Aquino said they are confident of doing well in the tournament armed with the lessons they got from international competitions they joined in recently, backed by steady practice sessions here at home.
“Our summer training in Taipei last May helped us benchmark where the team is on an international scale. We had several games with one of the strongest teams in Taiwan. We also have been practicing 5-6 times a week, and we’ve been having a series of tune-up games against different teams,” said Mr. Aquino, whose team also competed at the recent William Jones Cup also in Taipei.
Gilas Pilipinas Women’s is expected to be bannered by veterans Afril Bernardino and Jack Animam to be joined by a mix of old and new faces in the national team.
Mr. Aquino said the work continues for them from now till the tournament proper, enhancing their skills set to fashion out an effective game plan.
“The team needs to strengthen their offense and make sure they are also solid on the defensive end. The easy part will be to scout the players of the teams: know their individual tendencies, strengths and weaknesses. As a team, we need to trust the system and make sure we can execute. It will be challenging for us especially the super teams we are up against but we will prepare and win every possession as much as we can,” the national team coach said.
The Philippines opens its bid in the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2019 against Australia on Sept. 24. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
