RISING in the world rankings cannot come at a better time for the Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 women.
The Filipinas are headed to the FIBA 3×3 Under-23 World Cup later this year armed with a big boost, climbing to world No. 14 following a masterful stint at the FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations League Asia-Pacific 1 in Doha, Qatar.
The Philippines ruled four of the six stops in the competition, finishing with 530 points, 50 markers clear of second-ranked New Zealand.
The squad made up of Cielo Pagdulagan, Kristine Cayabyab, Cheska Apag, Jem Meniano, Elaine Etang, and Kacey Dela Rosa ruled Stops 1, 2, 4, and 5 to bag a ticket to China.
“We’re really proud of their accomplishments in Doha,” Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Erika Dy said.
“Our women’s teams have always been capable of competing against the best in the region and now the best in the world.
They just needed the support to give them the opportunities to prove their skill,” she added.
The Philippines rose eight rungs in the FIBA 3×3 world rankings, the highest rank that a Gilas team has reached in FIBA 3×3.
“Thanks to the support of the SBP, the schools, coaches and their officials. It was a big help in making sure we can prepare,” coach Anton Altamirano said. “Also, the challenge for me was to prepare them early as I also had to leave a week before the tournament to go with our main team to Europe for another tournament. But with the help of my coaching staff led by coach Paolo Layug and Nico Francisco, the preparations were done well.
“It’s always an amazing feeling when you accomplish something that nobody expected. We came into the tournament with a goal to win some stops as we failed to do it last year. But when we won our first game against New Zealand, we felt we could do it. I’m really happy not just because we qualified but because I saw how well the girls prepared and did everything, we told them to do no matter how hard it was.”
The Philippines notching a high spot in the global ladder also meant the women’s squad is now the fourth-best team in Asia behind Japan, Mongolia, and China.
“With the direction led by our Executive Director Erika Dy and the support of Strong Group Athletics (SGA) led by Frank Lao and Jacob Lao, Uratex Dream led by Peachy Medina, Smart and MVP Sports Foundation (MVPSF), our Gilas 3×3 Women have everything they need to compete at a high level,” Altamirano said.
“Ranking 14th in the world is a great achievement and I believe it’s only the start.”
