Less than a month ago, Amyah Espanol was simply grateful that the main goal that brought her home to the Philippines had been achieved earlier than expected.
When Tiebreaker Times first caught up with the Fil-American winger on September 8 during the UAAP Season 89 press conference at the Novotel Manila, she was overjoyed by the prospect of representing the Philippines in the 20th Asian Games as part of the women’s 3×3 squad — just one year after arriving in the country.
That was the ultimate goal when she first returned from the United States.
Fast forward to Sunday, October 4, and Espanol has not only helped Gilas Women secure a silver medal in the Asiad, but is also leading Far Eastern University to a hot start in the UAAP women’s basketball tournament.
The 5-foot-7 Espanol was already a do-it-all player at Renaissance High School, averaging 14 points, six rebounds, and four steals per game in her senior year before spending one season with Division II school Davenport University.
But moving back to the Philippines helped Espanol discover more about her game — and unlock one vital quality that Philippine national team athletes carry into every game: heart.
“I think the Philippine side of it is playing with heart. I think it’s the main thing we learned. You know, we play with a lot of heart, a lot of aggressiveness,” Espanol told Tiebreaker Times as she reflected on how she became a better athlete after spending months with the Gilas Women 3×3 team, culminating in an Asian Games silver medal.
“That’s our identity. And I think that’s what we’re bringing to our team in FEU now is just playing with a lot of heart, you know, being dogs,” she continued, also referring to her Gilas and Lady Tamaraws teammate Victoria Pasilang.
(C) FIBA 3×3
Espanol’s journey with Gilas Pilipinas, however, did not begin at the Asian Games.
She earned her spot on the national team through a strong showing in the FIBA 3×3 Nations League-Asia SEA Conference, where she played a key role in a campaign that ended with the Philippines qualifying for the FIBA 3×3 Under-23 World Cup.
Espanol did not play in the World Cup, however, as its schedule came too close to the Asian Games.
After spending most of the summer playing the three-a-side format, Espanol had no trouble transitioning back to 5-on-5 basketball, helping FEU open the UAAP season with back-to-back victories.
She also credited her 3×3 experience for making her an even more dangerous player in the full-court game.
“It helped me be more confident, you know, especially set my defensive game up,” Espanol shared on how she has utilized the experience she gained during the offseason.
“In 3×3, you can’t really hide, you know, you’re all on your own when it comes to defense. So I think that’s what really helped me today,” she said after FEU outlasted the University of the Philippines in overtime, 74-67, on Sunday.
The victory pushed the Lady Tamaraws to a 2-0 start in the season after they also secured a close 76-71 win over the De La Salle Lady Archers in their opening game.
FEU’s victory over UP was particularly significant, with the Fighting Maroons regarded as a Final Four contender thanks to an intact core led by Louna Ozar and Camille Nolasco, along with one-and-done forward Kennan Ka and several new recruits.
UP is also being guided by new head coach Eric Altamirano.
Beating the Fighting Maroons showed just how ready the Lady Tamaraws are for the season, according to Espanol, who saw familiar faces on the other side of the court in Ka and Marielle Vingno, both of whom were her teammates with Gilas.
“UP is a really strong team. I’ve played with their players like Kennan Ka and Marielle Vingno. And I think this just shows that, you know, we’ve been working really hard. So no matter who we play, we just play 100 percent and it’s gotten us results so far,” she said.
