TWO members of the Gilas Girls team which recently captured the Division B title of the FIBA Under-18 Women’s Asia Cup will be in the seniors squad that will play in this year’s William Jones Cup in Taipei.
Gilas Girls head coach Julie Amos said Naomi Panganiban and Gabby Ramos will be part of the seniors team for the Jones Cup. Coached by Pat Aquino, the team will leave on Friday for the tournament.
“We have been looking for two players that hopefully, will go to the women’s division. Actually, they will be playing next week. They will try to go to the women’s program together with coach Pat (Aquino) and playing for the Jones Cup,” said Amos during Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum.
READ Gilas Girls sweep FIBA U18 Asia Cup to earn promotion to Division A
Panganiban and Ramos are coming off a successful run in the FIBA Under-18 Women’s Asia Cup in Shenzhen, China, earning promotion to Division A where they will join world-class teams Australia and China, the top two finishers of the tournament.
Panganiban and Ramos were Gilas's top scorer and rebounder, respectively, during the Gilas Girls’ campaign.
The 18-year-old Panganiban was fifth in scoring in the tournament. The highlight was a 25-point output against Lebanon in the semifinal round. The 5-foot-4 Panganiban was also fifth in Division B in assists with four a game.
The 6-foot Ramos, meanwhile, averaged third in the tournament in rebounding with 11.3. The 17-year-old had 19 in the semifinal game against Lebanon.
Gilas opponents in the Jones Cup
The Gilas Women seniors team will be facing Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Chinese Taipei A, and Chinese Taipei B in the tournament that will run from July 6 to 10.
Like the men’s side, the teams will play a round-robin tournament with the best record earning the championship.
Aquino welcomes the inclusion of Panganiban and Ramos in the seniors pool for the Jones Cup, but also added that other players from the Gilas Girls squad are capable of also making it to that level.
“We just had to use two from this group. Of course, all of them are future Gilas. I’m just so happy to have them. And hopefully, they still have to work on their games.
“For now, with the two additions, we’ll still see if they can compete well in the seniors division. I know that they can do it. Everybody in the team can do it. This is the future of women’s basketball,” said Aquino.
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