After another championship, what's next for Jack Animam? | ABS-CBN

ADVERTISEMENT

dpo-dps-seal
Welcome, Kapamilya! We use cookies to improve your browsing experience. Continuing to use this site means you agree to our use of cookies. Tell me more!

After another championship, what's next for Jack Animam?

After another championship, what's next for Jack Animam?

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

 | 

Updated Mar 25, 2021 02:57 PM PHT

Clipboard

Jack Animam has represented the Philippines in several international tournaments, including the 2019 FIBA Asia Women's Championship. FIBA.basketball

MANILA, Philippines -- Filipina basketball star Jack Animam is keeping all her options open as she ponders her next step in her career, after extending her personal winning streak to a stunning 96 games.

Undefeated in her UAAP career with the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs, Animam kept on winning when she took her talents to Taiwan's Shih Hsin University (SHU). She steered the team to a perfect 18-0 season, capped by a 70-51 rout of Taiwan Normal University on Sunday to secure the championship.

"Yes, I'm a champion, again," a smiling Animam said in an appearance on "The Game," Wednesday night.

Animam won five UAAP championships with the Lady Bulldogs, and added another from the University Basketball Association in Taiwan.

ADVERTISEMENT

She also owns two gold medals from the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, in 3x3 and 5-on-5.

What, then, is next for the 6-foot-5 cager?

"As of now, there's no definite plans yet," she admitted.

"I'm still exploring my options, and I'm open to anything. I'm not closing my doors. I'm just here," she added. "Just always ready to go out there."

The one thing that Animam is quite certain of is that while she dreams of making it to the WNBA, she still has a long way to go before she gets there.

No homegrown Filipinas has yet to reach the league. Filipino-American guard Chanelle Molina, who was born and raised in Hawaii, is looking to be the first player of Philippine descent to make it to the WNBA after inking a training camp contract with the Indiana Fever.

"The WNBA is always a dream," Animamsaid. "Kung makikita ko 'yung sarili ko, I know I still have a long, long, long way to go."

"But right now, I'm trying to focus on the things within my reach, you know? Eventually, you know, (the) hopefully will lead me there, to the WNBA," she added.

Regardless of where she goes next, the 22-year-old Animam is determined to keep representing the Philippines, and in particular, Filipina players.

Even when she was still in college, Animam was already among the most vocal advocates of women's basketball in the country, and she kept that spotlight on the sport during her stint in Taiwan.

"At the back of my mind, everyone back home is watching me, especially all the women's basketball players in the Philippines, and the young generation," Animam said of the pressure she feels as arguably the face of women's basketball in the Philippines.

"I always upheld myself to always play my game, always play my best every game because I wanted to show them that, you know, we Filipinas can play ball anywhere in the world (that) we wish to play," she stressed.

FROM THE ARCHIVES:

Watch more in iWantv or TFC.tv

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

It looks like you’re using an ad blocker

Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker on our website.

Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker on our website.