Gilas Women coach Pat Aquino wants different players for 3x3, 5-on-5 in future SEA Games competitions

Unlike the previous Southeast Asian Games where the country’s cagebelles were able to secure two gold medals, this year’s Philippine women’s basketball team was successful in defending the 5-on-5 crown, but failed to replicate the success in the 3x3 event.

Gilas Pilipinas women’s basketball coach and program director Patrick Aquino believes that the team needs to field different sets of players in the two events.

“We really need different players for both disciplines,” Aquino shared with GMA News Online. “Magkaiba kasi talaga yung dynamics ng 5-on-5 sa 3x3.”

Over the past two editions of the SEA Games, the 3x3 teams were also composed of members of the 5-on-5 squads.

In the 2019 SEA Games in Manila, mainstays Jack Animam, Afril Bernardino, Janine Pontejos, and Clare Castro played in both tournaments while in the recent Hanoi Games, Angel Surada, who previously represented the country in Under-18 3x3 competitions, replaced the injured Animam.

But missing one of their key players, the 3x3 squad could only win three of their six games and fell short of their goal.

“Definitely, it’s not an excuse. Jack can bring a lot of things for our squads, both the 5-on-5 and 3x3,  but I just felt teams came out more prepared than us sa 3x3. They were ahead than us in our preparation because of the COVID-19 restrictions,” said Aquino.

“But I really believe that the differences in dynamics played a big difference as well. There are things the five-on-five players cannot do in the 3x3 while 3x3 players were also having a difficult time adjusting in the five-on-five. We really need different set of players for both disciplines,” the coach added.

Even Aquino himself is looking to upgrade his experience coaching the 3x3 discipline, and he will have the chance to do that as he was appointed by sponsor Ever Bilena as coach of Blackwater's team in the PBA 3x3 competitions.

—JMB, GMA News