Gilas Women look to set up training camp anew to gear up for a busy 2022

The Gilas Pilipinas Women's basketball team is eyeing to set up a training camp as part of the squad's preparation for a hectic 2022, which will see them competing in at least two prestigious tournaments.

Gilas Women head coach Patrick Aquino said he is hoping to regroup with his players this November to gear up for the pre-qualifying tournament of the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup in February, the Vietnam Southeast Asian Games in May, and hopefully, the 2022 Asian Games.

The decorated mentor stressed the sooner they will be able to train, the better as they want to sustain the momentum they had during the 2021 FIBA Women's Asia Cup, where they avoided Division B relegation.

"November would be a good start because once December comes, there would be a lot of breaks again," Aquino said on Tuesday in the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum.

"With the experience that the young ones got along with the experience of the veterans, it would be more interesting to watch the players in February."

Aquino, though, admitted that one of the things they lacked in the Asia Cup was height.

Seeing this, Aquino shared he already had a discussion with national team mainstay Jack Animam and Filipino-American Mai-Loni Henson, whom the coach is hoping will be available come February.

Animam is currently in Europe playing for Radnicki Kragujevac in the First Women's Basketball League of Serbia while Henson is a 6-foot-1 University of Washington product who has seen action in a French League.

"Definitely, it's the height," said Aquino when asked what's the team's disadvantage during the Asia Cup.

"Me and Jack are always in contact and I told her to never forget the country and she said she'll be there in February and also Mai-loni Henson."

—JMB, GMA News