GILAS Pilipinas Women is set to see action in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Kigali, Rwanda. This will be first time that the women’s national basketball team will compete outside the FIBA Asia borders.
The Philippines, ranked 40th in the women’s division by FIBA, is grouped with Brazil (8th), Hungary (16th), and Senegal (25th). The Filipina ballers booked a ticket to Rwanda thanks to their sixth-place finish in the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2023 in Australia last June.
Gilas will be a heavy underdog in the tournament as the lowest-ranked competitor outside the host Rwanda but coach Patrick Aquino and the rest of the squad know that continuing their improvements in the program means taking on better opposition.
“Moving up the rankings means we’ll have to learn how to step outside our comfort zone,” said Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas Executive Director Erika Dy. “Our Women’s Team has shown us they can be competitive in the region but there’s still a lot of work to be done to reach the next level. Joining competitions like this and going up against highly-ranked opponents will only make our players better and give our program a clear idea on what we need to do to get better.”
A FIBA article lists two Filipina ballers as players to watch in the field of eight teams in Afril Bernardino and Jack Animam.
“Known for her athleticism and relentlessness to win, Afril is one of the best players I have seen in the country. Her constant will to learn and determination to work harder than anybody else has made her who she is now,” said Aquino about one of his ace players. The two have built a strong coach-player bond as they’ve been to many competitions together in basketball and in 3×3.
“When the Philippines need Jack Animan to make her presence felt in the paint, the 6-foot-5 player never disappoints,” the FIBA article wrote. “And this was the case when Patrick Aquino’s team desperately needed to win a relegation battle at FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2023, and Animan came up big, averaging 10 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Now with the Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 on the horizon, Animan could play yet another role for the Filipinas.”
The Philippines will face off against Brazil on August 19 at 8pm. This will be followed with a showdown against Hungary on August 20 at 11pm. They cap off their group stage assignment against Senegal on August 22 at 5pm.
The other group features Rwanda, Great Britain, Argentina, and Lebanon with only one team among the eight moving forward to the World Cup qualifications.
