News surrounding Gilas Pilipinas has largely been centered on the Men’s Division and rightly so. The Philippines still has a statistical shot at qualifying for the 2024 Summer Olympics, but realistically, a trip to Paris, France is a bit of a reach.

While much of the attention has been focused on Gilas Men’s campaign, a group of young Filipinas quietly achieved a great milestone in Shenzhen, China.

Gilas Women’s U18 swept through the FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup 2024 – Division B, earning not only a promotion to the elite Division A but also continuing a stellar streak of promotions for Philippine Women’s Basketball. Men’s basketball, more so in the Philippines, has been driven by personalities, but women’s basketball has been more “we” rather than “me” and Gilas Women’s U18 was a great example of that.

With every player averaging at least 7.5 minutes per game in the FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup 2024 – Division B, everyone was called upon and they all definitely responded in their own way. Seven players scored at least 8.0 points per game, with everyone stepping up defensively (as evidenced by every player not averaging less than half a steal through four games). By all accounts, the numbers pointed to Gilas Women’s U18 being the best team in the field on both ends of the floor.

Women’s basketball is still developing globally and the Philippines has been wise to capitalize on the opportunities to bridge the gap to the game’s giants.

Continuity has been a hallmark for the Gilas Women’s program as Patrick Aquino has been the head coach and de facto program head for a decade. The results speak for themselves and thanks to the autonomy he’s been given, Aquino has been able to make the necessary changes that not only provided stability to the program, but also attracted talent from all corners of the globe.

Not being in the limelight has, in a way, been helpful for Gilas Women’s as they weren’t any visible distractions that could derail their plans. The Gilas Men’s side tends to have a lot of cooks in the kitchen, and while they are still a work in progress, part of that was mitigated with the ascension of Tim Cone as head coach. Aquino has had full control of the program so while it does give him accountability in the end, it also allows him to go all out with his plans.

The next step, of course, is for there to be a professional women’s basketball league in the Philippines. Jack Aminam and Afril Bernardino are among those who have been able to play in professional leagues overseas and that’s well and good. The talent abroad is definitely better, but building a pro league here will allow more Filipinas to play and develop a greater pool to choose from. That way, everyone gets better and that’s crucial for a team that relies on their strength as a unit.

However, the biggest hurdle remains to be sustainable funding. Men’s basketball and women’s volleyball are the biggest sports draws in the Philippines and the multiple leagues dedicated to the former make it hard for other leagues to even get a foot on the ground. There have been attempts to put up a league for women’s professional basketball, but it hasn’t lasted long. 

It hasn’t been a hurdle for Aquino and Gilas Women’s program, though, since they instead dedicated more time to practice and helping the players familiarize themselves with his system. Commitment has also been a much easier thing to handle compared to Gilas Men’s and that’s critical for success on the international stage.

Things are looking up for the Gilas Women’s program, with the U18 team going undefeated in the FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup 2024 – Division B. Milestones like these are well and good, but the real work begins now and with Patrick Aquino leading the way, we can expect the future to be great for the Filipina.