GILAS Pilipinas Women now has the 20th Asian Games in its radar after the conclusion of its stint in the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Head coach BT Toews said they will be going to Japan with a mindset of winning and learning as they battle against the top teams in Asia in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
“I’m going to Japan with my team and we want to move forward. That’s another chance for us to learn. It’s another chance for us to compete but we want to win more than anything else,” Toews said at the conclusion of their FIBA Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
READ: Gilas Women ends pre-Olympic qualifier with win over Senegal
The Philippines will look to improve on its quarterfinal finish in the last Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
Before losing to South Korea in the knockout stage, the Philippines had a 2-1 win-loss record in the group stage with victories over Kazakhstan and Hong Kong, and a loss to eventual silver medalist Japan.
And as coincidence would have it, Gilas Women will play once again with those same teams in Group B, but this time, on Japan's home turf.
Other groups include defending champion China in Group A alongside Indonesia and Thailand. South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Mongolia, and Malaysia are bunched in Group C.
Toews said Gilas Women still has plenty of work to do even after finishing its first tournament with him as head coach, which they ended with a 79-75 win over Senegal last Friday.
“One game doesn’t give you an identity but we’re definitely headed in the right direction. We need to play with passion which is something that the Gilas team always does and fight. But fighting is not enough at this level. Your brain has to follow," he said.
"So we’re still waiting for the execution to get better and fewer hiccups in game. So we are not quite there yet, but I think we’re headed in the right direction."
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
