Gilas Pilipinas Women head coach Pat Aquino confirmed that Jack Animam and Vanessa de Jesus will soon join the national team as it ramps up preparations for the upcoming William Jones Cup and FIBA Asia Cup.
Speaking at the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup trophy tour press conference held Monday at Buffalo’s Wings N’ Things in the Mall of Asia Complex, Aquino clarified the status of the two key players, who were notably absent during the event.
The Jones Cup will take place from July 2 to 6 in Taiwan, while the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup is set from July 13 to 20 in China.
“Jack is gonna be there. Jack is just resting for a while, I think she had a six-month grueling season in Romania and it’s okay. Let her body rest and come back fresh and ready to go,” said Aquino.
(c) FIBA.basketball
Animam recently wrapped up a strong campaign with FCC UAV Arad in Romania’s Liga Națională. The former five-time UAAP champion played a pivotal role in the team’s bronze-medal finish, averaging 19.7 points, 13.3 rebounds, 2.4 steals, and 1.9 assists over 22 games, including the playoffs.
(C) FIBA.basketball
Meanwhile, De Jesus, the Filipino-American guard who will fill the naturalized player slot for Gilas, was originally expected to arrive in the Philippines earlier this month. However, her trip was delayed due to academic commitments.
The former Duke University standout has transferred to the University of Notre Dame, where she will play out her final year of NCAA eligibility.
“She’s arriving next week. Actually she was supposed to come early… But unfortunately, she went on the transfer portal, from Duke to Notre Dame, and Notre Dame told her she had to stay because everybody is coming in before school returns. So sabi niya, ‘I had to go there but I’ll be there,’” Aquino shared.
“Very happy din na she committed. She had a good showing in the last FIBA Asia Cup, hopefully again with new ones, we’ll never know.”
De Jesus officially debuted for the Philippines in the 2023 FIBA Asia Cup, where she made an immediate impact, averaging 12.8 points, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 steals. The Gilas Women finished sixth in that tournament.
The confirmed return of both Animam and De Jesus is a timely boost for the national squad, especially with the absence of veterans Afril Bernardino, Janine Pontejos, Chack Cabinbin, and Andrea Tongco, who will be unavailable for both tournaments due to military service.
#WATCH: With the military quartet out, it’s a very big opportunity for our younger players to step up, says Pat Aquino 🇵🇭
📹 @justinvalencia_ /Tiebreaker Times#WeBelong #LabanPilipinas pic.twitter.com/nXlEnqR1Y8
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) June 16, 2025
