Expect a huge group of supporters to show up when Gilas Pilipinas Women’s squad faces Australia in the opening salvo of the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup on Monday at the Sydney Olympic Stadium in Australia.
Gilas head coach Patrick Aquino said they have been experiencing warm reception since they arrived in Melbourne last week so they expect to feel at home when they battle the taller, heftier Australians at 5:30 p.m. (Manila time).
“We’re really thankful to the members of the Filipino community here and the support they have given us the moment we got in Melbourne. They really cheered for us when we played against WNBL (Women’s National Basketball League) teams,” said Aquino, whose wards faced the Keilor Thunder and the Casey Cavaliers in the final leg of their training.
“I just hope that we can replicate the strategy used by China in the World Cup last year when there were more Chinese cheering than the Aussies that negated their home court advantage.”
But on the court, Aquino knows that the world No. 2 Australians will be tough nuts to crack.
How the Filipinas will match up with the bigger and more experienced Australians remains to be seen, especially now that 6-foot-5 Clare Castro didn’t make the trip.
Still, Gilas girls have Jack Animam, who toughened up while playing in the French League, as well as Angel Surada, Afril Bernardino and new recruits Jhazmin Joson and Louna Ozar.
‘I guess we have to rely on our flexibility and speed.’
Expectations will also be high on Vanessa de Jesus, the Duke playmaker who will come in as Gilas’ naturalized player.
“I guess we have to rely on our flexibility and speed,” Aquino said.
“Clare is definitely a big loss and that’s why we made some key adjustments by bringing in three new players from our previous team that played in the Southeast Asian Games.”
Size and experience competing in the international arena will be the biggest advantages of the Australians, who will bank on 6-foot-2 Tess Madgen, a 32-year-old guard who is playing for the Melbourne Boomers in the WNBL Australia.
Madgen also played for the Phoenix Mercury in the Women’s National Basketball Association for one season and has participated in two World Cups, leading both her squads to a podium finish.
She also helped the Australians clinch the silver medal in the 2018 World Cup in Spain and the bronze medal last year in Australia.
But more than that, she was part of the Australian team that campaigned in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Helping Madgen is 6-foot-2 Darcee Garbin, a two-time champion of the WNBL who was also part of the World Cup squad last year.
