AFTER three years of waiting, Duke University standout Vanessa de Jesus will finally get to suit up, practice and play for the Gilas Pilipinas national women’s team.
The 21-year-old De Jesus, who is entering her senior year in college at Duke, is expected to give the Gilas Women a boost as they get ready to leave for the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup this weekend in Sydney, Australia.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to play for the Philippine National Women’s Team. This and my family are two of the most important things in my life,” said De Jesus, the 5’8” guard of the Blue Devils, following an online huddle with Filipino scribes on Zoom.
For the last three years, De Jesus has been exposed to high-level collegiate basketball playing for the Blue Devils in the US NCAA Division I.
The season that just ended was her best year in the NCAA, having been named a member of the 2022-23 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Team.
De Jesus has been fortunate to play under Team USA national women’s coach Kara Lawson, who helped develop her skills as a point guard during her ongoing stint with the Blue Devils.
Lawson was a member of Team USA, which won the gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She has also distinguished herself by steering Team USA to the Tokyo Olympics’ 3×3 women’s basketball gold medal.
For three years, Gilas women’s coach Pat Aquino has kept in close contact with De Jesus over her desire to play for the Philippines.
“I have been passionate about it. I’m just finding the right moment. I think, now is the right time and moment for me,” said De Jesus, who recently obtained a Philippine passport.
De Jesus is now getting ready to leave for Sydney and will hook up with Gilas this weekend.
The squad will first meet host and world no. 3 Australia in its first game on June 26, at 5:30 p.m. (Manila time).
After that, they will confront six-time champion Japan on Tuesday before Gilas rounds up its Group B campaign against Taiwan on Wednesday.
The team is also bannered by mainstay Jack Animam, along with two other US-based standouts Ella Fajardo and Stefanie Berberabe.
De Jesus is the only daughter of Philip de Jesus from Cavite, and Maria Ongkeko from Pangasinan.