After dominating Division B of the FIBA U16 Women’s Asia Cup in 2023 in Jordan — winning all five games by an average margin of 53 points — the Philippines is ready to face the region’s elite in the 2025 FIBA U16 Women’s Asia Cup, scheduled for September 22-28 in Seremban, Malaysia.
The Gilas Girls, ranked 43rd in the FIBA standings, enter the eight-team tournament as the second-lowest ranked squad, above only World No. 56 Syria.
The competition also serves as a qualifier for the 2026 FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup, which will be hosted by the Czech Republic.
Facing Asia’s Elite
Coached by Julie Amos, Gilas Girls are drawn into Group A alongside World No. 5 Australia, No. 21 South Korea, and No. 27 Chinese Taipei.
Group B features World No. 6 Japan, No. 18 China, No. 24 New Zealand, and Syria. The top two teams from each group will advance to the crossover semifinals and secure their tickets to the World Cup.
Tallest U16 Gilas Roster Yet
This edition of the Gilas squad is among the tallest U16 Philippine rosters ever assembled, with only three players under 5-foot08.
Amos selected seven homegrown talents and supplemented them with five overseas-based players — three from the United States and two from Australia.
Leading the charge is 6-foot-1 Tiffany Reyes, one of the most highly touted young Filipina players, who will turn 15 on September 24.
A product of De La Salle Zobel, Reyes has spent the past year playing in the United States to pursue her goal of joining a US NCAA program.
She was also a key contributor in the Gilas team that won the 2024 FIBA U18 Asia Cup Division B in Shenzhen, China, helping the Philippines earn promotion to Division A.
Despite being the youngest member of the U18 team at 13, Reyes averaged 6.8 points per game, hitting four three-pointers against the Maldives and going 4-of-7 from beyond the arc against Lebanon.
The youngest players on the Gilas U16 roster are 12-year-old guard Zia Onate from Iloilo (5’5”) and 13-year-old Makena Ramos (5’10”).
The rest of the team includes 5-foot-9 Ruiza Olmos, 5-foot-8 Alyza Goson, 5-foot-8 Zaira Vinluan, 5-foot-9 Brianna Katigbak, 5-foot-8 Zuzanne Singson, 5-foot-8 Olivia Molina, 5-foot-7 Ella Smith, 5-foot-8 Ryanna Roman, and 5-foot-4 Sofia Martinez.
Gilas Girls will open their campaign against Australia on Monday at the Arena Seremban, followed by matches against Chinese Taipei on Tuesday and South Korea on Wednesday.
