MANILA – Gilas Pilipinas Women head coach Patrick Aquino expects the women’s basketball national team to perform better in the upcoming FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2023 in Sydney, Australia next month.

When the long-time head coach gathered the ladies before their Wednesday morning training, he told them to have a mindset that they can compete with the continent’s heavyweights.

“I think it’s time. When we go there, we’re not just there to play in Division A. You have to be competing. That’s the exact term for that. We have to compete,” Aquino said. “We can’t be intimidated when we see Japan or Australia.”

While the Philippines has stayed in the top division of the Asian championship since its promotion in 2015, Aquino said the squad must not settle for winning only the promotion-and-relegation match.

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“We don’t just want to go out there and just play the last game and win it just to stay in Division A. We can’t just be happy to be there for the experience,” he said.

“We want more. We want to do better. We’ve been here for many years and I think the experience is catching up.

Ranked no. 42 in the world, Gilas Women will be in for a tough challenge in the continental meet; the team will open its campaign against regional powerhouse Australia on June 26, before playing reigning champion and Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Japan on June 27.

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The squad will then wrap up its Group B assignments against Chinese Taipei on June 28.

In spite of the odds, Aquino wants his team to prove they belong among the top teams in the region.

“Hopefully, those experiences we learn from previous FIBA Asia Cups, mailagay namin, maipakita namin. It’s a good start for having to have SEA Games and then FIBA, so I hope that kind of exposure will be beneficial for us,” he said.

“Hindi lang puro last game; ‘yung mindset natin is just to stay in Division 1, no, this time, I think we need to really compete and show the world na not just here but also in Asia na we can compete against the best.”

To ensure Gilas Women enters the competition ready, the contingent will leave for Melbourne on June 18 and shall play tune-up games against local clubs. Aquino disclosed that he is also in talks with New Zealand for a possible friendly match.

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“We’ve been there and we have to perform. We have to really compete this time. I know it’s a hard task to do but we have to really prepare and represent the country well in the FIBA Asia Cup,” he said.

The expanded FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 format also adds to the nationals’ motivation.

The prestigious international meet will now accommodate 24 nations for its qualification process, from which 16 teams will make the World Cup stage.

In Asia and the Pacific, it is expected that the number of teams that shall enter the qualification process will increase from four to six.

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“We have to start competing. Dapat makita nilang we cannot take the Philippines for granted. They have to prepare for us, that’s my motivation. Kailangan, laban lagi. Sana magawa namin with this bunch of women who can uplift the level of competition,” Aquino added.

Gilas Women is coming off a silver medal finish in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Cambodia, the team’s third straight podium finish in the 5-on-5 basketball category.

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