Girls coming up

This year, the national girls under-18 basketball team participated in two international competitions. Their success meant that the country’s female squads may now compete in FIBA Asia’s highest division. But next year, that campaign begins with the under-16 girls, who will finally be competing in FIBA Asia’s Division A against the likes of Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Chinese-Taipei. Building the team starts early in 2025.

“Right now, we really have to look for new players,” explains national girls coach and Gilas Women assistant coach Julie Amos. “Because of the improvement of the women’s  program, it’s actually the parents who now message us regarding when the tryouts would be.”

A lot has changed in the last 15 years. Time was when parents were afraid to let their daughters live in the big city out of fear of all possible negative influences. Conversely, girls were afraid of attending basketball camps because all of the coaches were men. Many got yelled at home by their fathers. They have to risk having a  similar experience at a basketball clinic. Now, circumstances are more encouraging. Parents see how the opportunity could help their children grow and prosper.

Locally, college leagues like the UAAP now give importance to women’s play, which provides a peek into potential national players. As for Filipino-foreign players, if they received their passports before the age of 16, all they need to do is fly into the country to attend tryouts.

“If they’re really into it, they should try out here, so we can see if they can really compete and help the team,” adds the former national team point guard. “For the boys, there are so many tournaments. For the girls, just a few. So our try-outs have to be rigid. We make sure to get the best even with coaches in other countries, to ask if they have potential players with Filipino blood and passports.”

Over the last decade, there was a tug-of-war between the national women’s basketball team and commercial volleyball leagues over the tallest players. But with the overabundance of players, the spillover ends up back in basketball. Things are coming together for the future of Philippine women’s basketball.