BOCAUE — Despite the Philippines losing both of its games in day one of the 2018 Fiba 3x3 World Cup, coach Patrick Aquino remains upbeat seeing the kind of fight his girls showed on Friday.
“I'm just very happy for the girls na even though we lost, I felt that we could be in that level. We could play in that level again and we could compete with the other countries,” he said.
Though the Netherlands humbled the Filipinas in their tournament-opener, the Perlas Pilipinas girls showed more grit in their second game against Germany, falling just short in the end game.
“Sayang lang. Siguro minalas lang ng kaunti. The last four shots we had, we missed it and it was open,” said Aquino.
“But I'm so proud of these girls. They played their hearts out today.”
With the defeats, the hosts sit at the cellar of Pool D.
But for Aquino, the Filipinas are already winners, and they enter Sunday’s games against Spain and Hungary ready to show what Filipinas can do on the international stage.
Aquino also wishes that the World Cup stint would open floodgates for the lady cagers.
“It's more of sa exposure again,” he said.
“We need more games and living with games na may ganitong physicality. This is the first time they experienced that because they didn't experience it sa 5-on-5. And yung endurance namin, they have to have more of that and I've seen that. Siguro sa players naman, I think these are the best players we have in today's time.”
“Sana ma-encourage natin 'yung iba para makita na andito kami na naghihirap and they join us for the future of women's basketball.”
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