Gilas women youth coach trains sights on Olympics
MANILA, Philippines – Gilas women Under-16 and Under-18 head coach and program coordinator Cris Gopez did not shy away from his ambitions as to what he wants to achieve with young talented Filipina ballers.
Forming an elite pool of promising hoopers, both Filipino-American and homegrown, Gopez is building a program to take Philippine women's basketball to the highest level.
"In all honesty, I want to get to the Olympics. I wanna be just like Japan how they're competing against Team USA," Gopez told Philstar.com.
"When you look at that type of competitive drive and the winning culture they've built, it's amazing," he added.
The establishment of a legitimate youth program for the women's team with Gopez' help is the first step to improving the competitiveness of Philippine women's hoops.
Though a powerhouse in Southeast Asia, Gilas women has ways to go before becoming a legitimate threat in Asia as a whole.
But with a young core already and with top Filipino-American high school talents leading the pack, the national team is heading in the right direction.
"What we got with these young blood right now I think they're going to bring some fire. I think they're going to bring some high level competition," he said.
Gopez has already assembled a potential starting five for the youth team, with La Jolla Country Day High School's Naomi Panganiban and Sumayah Sugapong, Westview High School's Sydney Heyn, Oxnard High School's Kristan Yumul, and Samantha Medina of Meadowdale High School.
Along with local homegrown talent, the Fil-Am teens are expected to test their mettle first at the FIBA U16 Women's Asia Championship in Jordan later this year.
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