THREE years after declaring her intention to suit up for the Philippines, Vanessa de Jesus is finally eligible to play as a local for Gilas Pilipinas women.
De Jesus, who has been the starting point guard for the Blue Devils in three years in the NCAA Division 1, received her Philippine passport on Wednesday, making her eligible for Gilas Women as a local in non-Fiba events.
See Duke's Vanessa De Jesus very much willing to play for Gilas Women
The 21-year-old De Jesus will be able to play in tournaments like the Southeast Asian Games, the Asian Games, Jones Cup, among others, as a local.
For Fiba-sanctioned events like the upcoming Fiba Women’s Asia Cup, De Jesus can be included in the lineup as a naturalized player. This is because of Fiba’s eligibility rule that requires local players to have their passports before the age of 16.
Still, de Jesus is reportedly eyeing a spot in the Philippine team in the Women’s Asia Cup in Sydney next month.
“She’s ready, we’re preparing her for Asia Cup in Sydney,” said Fil-Am Nation Select’s Cris Gopez, who helped her acquire her passport.
In her junior year at Duke, De Jesus and the Blue Devils reached the second round of the NCAA Women’s Championship - Seattle Regional 4.
De Jesus played 32 games in the 2022-23 season and averaged 15.7 minutes of play, registering five points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.8 steals.
Among Fil-Am talents that have beefed up Gilas Pilipinas women are Ella Fajardo and Stefanie Berberabe.
Both players were part of the Gilas women’s team that finished with the silver medal in the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia.
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