THE country’s women’s basketball team seeks to shore up its program with the possible inclusion of Filipino-American prospects to the team.
Patrick Aquino, Gilas Pilipinas Women’s coach, is currently in the United States for a “road show” to present to invited players and their families their basketball program as something to consider.
Part of it is also conducting tryouts which is organized by Fil-Am Nation Select and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas from June 4 to 6.
Mr. Aquino said as they make their case to the prospects, it is important that they be informed of the eligibility process so as to avoid complications down the line.
He cited the cases of players with dual citizenship, which include Fil-Am talents, who need to obtain a passport from the country they wish to represent before they turn 16. It is a requirement which most prospects and their families are not entirely aware of, the coach underscored.
“Most of our invitees, they don’t have the papers yet,” Mr. Aquino shared in Filipino. “We’ll try to explain how the process works, and if they need our help they can let us know.”
Failure to fulfil the passport requirement, Mr. Aquino said, will deprive the prospects the chance to represent the country as a “local” in FIBA-sanctioned events and can only participate as a naturalized player, which entails additional time and requirements to process.
For the scheduled US tryouts, 25 players have been invited including National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics most valuable player Stefanie Berberabe and Mai-Loni Henson who recently finished a stint as a professional player in France.
Also expected to make an appearance is Vanessa de Jesus of Duke University.
After the tryouts in the United States, Mr. Aquino said they are planning to conduct a training “bubble” here in July in preparation for upcoming tournaments, including the 3×3 U-19 Women’s World Cup in Hungary set in August.
The Gilas Pilipinas Women’s program has been making significant strides of late.
Through the program, the women’s team won two gold medals in the 5-on-5 and 3×3 events in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo