Members of the Gilas Pilipinas Ladies staff throughout an open coaching with the lads’s staff on Thursday. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRERnet
Hardened by a few tournaments up to now two months, nationwide coach Pat Aquino believes that his costs are going to take advantage of out of their debut within the nineteenth Asian Video games.
“The ladies are actually desirous to play. Particularly this being our first-ever Asian Video games look. They need to signify the nation nicely,” he informed the Inquirer shortly after follow at Aero Heart in Quezon Metropolis on Wednesday afternoon.
“The Jones Cup and the Korea stint have been nice measuring instruments for us going into the Asian Video games. We wished our new gamers to achieve expertise as loads of them are new to what we’re doing. So these tournaments gave us one thing heading into Hangzhou,” he added.
The Ladies’s squad is bunched with regional powerhouse Japan, Kazakhstan, and Hong Kong in Group B play that unfurls on Sept. 27 at Shaoxing Olympic Sports activities Centre Gymnasium.
Gilas takes on the Kazakhs first, however Aquino is discovering consolation in having to see that squad through the Asia Cup Division B held in Thailand the place they completed solely sixth.
“They’re tall however we’ll handle in opposition to them,” he mentioned.
Function reprisal
In deference to the nationwide federation, Aquino begged off from revealing his closing roster however went on to guarantee that his previous reliables are going to reprise their roles: cornerstones Jack Animam and Afril Bernardino together with deadeye guard and longtime captain Janine Pontejos.
Animam, who will open a brand new chapter of her professional profession in China, will probably be becoming a member of the staff as quickly as they arrive in Hangzhou.
Aquino mentioned that the short-term objective for the squad is to make the quarterfinals. And as quickly as Gilas does simply that, then they’ll proceed plotting.
“I believe that’s a reachable objective for now,” he mentioned. “If and once we get there, then we’ll go for an additional objective.”
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“There have been humps and bumps on the way in which to Hangzhou, however the factor is, we’re occurring a straight line,” he mentioned.
