MANILA, Philippines — Gilas women head coach Pat Aquino said that his wards will likely need to wait longer before they can start any preparations for the 31st Southeast Asian Games.
Though there's still no formal announcement if their training in February will be postponed, Aquino is bracing himself for the worst.
"It's been pushed back again, [and] the training camp will be pushed back again in February, probably," Aquino said, noting the continued rise of COVID-19 cases in the country.
"But hopefully we can start the soonest," he added.
The Gilas women last saw action in the 2021 FIBA women's Asia Cup where we avoided relegation to Division B.
But with targets on their back in the SEA Games as defending champions, Aquino said he's likely to call in some Fil-Am talents who have been consistenly playing.
"I'll be going back to the States and talk with some of the senior girls that will be playing with us for the Southeast Asian Games... Hopefully we get a lot of girls that would be committed and can play for the team," said Aquino.
"[Because] as of now, the only place that's been having basketball is out there [in the US]. Here, there's nothing. So I'm pretty sure we'll need some help coming from [the Fil-Ams]. And hopefully, with a mix of Fil-Am and locals, we could get another gold medal for the Philippines," he added.
The Gilas women took their first SEA Games medal in 2019 in front of a packed crowd in Mall of Asia Arena.
But things will likely be a little more difficult for Aquino and his wards this time around.
Jack Animam, a mainstay for the national team and part of the gold medal team in 2019, will likely miss out on the stint as she's recovering from ACL surgery.
Women's hoops have also been inactive for the most part here in the Philippines with no collegiate tournaments for the past two years.