Five new faces in the Gilas Pilipinas Women’s squad have the daunting task of keeping the Philippines in Division A.
Kelli Hayes, Eunique Chan, Bea Daez, Ria Nabalan, and Khate Castillo will make their seniors team debut come the 2019 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup, this September 24 to 29 in Bangalore, India.
Hayes is currently playing for the NU Lady Bulldogs and is a product of UCLA Bruin. During the Jones Cup, the 6-foot guard averaged 8.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game.
With Clare Castro out, former UE Lady Warrior Eunique Chan will serve as one of the team’s bruisers. Chan stands at 5-foot-8. Still, she makes up for her height with her power, as she has developed a reputation to be a solid post defender.
Nabalan, Daez, and Castillo add firepower to Gilas Women’s, with Daez and Castillo known as knockdown shooters during their time in UP and La Salle, respectively. Nabalan, on the other hand, is as lethal a scorer as they come.
Completing the team are mainstays, Afril Bernardino, Janine Pontejos, Chack Cabinbin, Andrea Tongco, and Gemma Miranda. Danica Jose will also make her return to the national team.
The Philippines is slotted in a tough group, though.
Gilas open their campaign against Australia on September 24 at 3:45 pm (Manila time). They then face China on the 25th at 8:15 pm, before closing out their group phase campaign against New Zealand at 3:45 pm.
The top team in the group of this tournament automatically advances to the semifinals. The second and third-ranked squads move to the playoffs.
The bottom-ranked squads in the two groups will tussle for the right to remain in Division A.
This campaign also serves as the pre-qualifier for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
