SBP taps Canadian Burke 'BT' Toews as new Gilas Pilipinas Women head coach

The world No. 30 Gilas Pilipinas Women are set to usher in a new era under newly-appointed head coach Burke “BT” Toews.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) announced Toews' hiring on Wednesday, almost two months after parting ways with longtime head coach Patrick Aquino, who was the man behind the national team's rise on the global stage.

"The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) announces the hiring of Burke “BT” Toews as the head coach of Gilas Pilipinas Women," SBP said in a post.

"After months of searching across continents and with more than a dozen applicants, the SBP selected a Canadian coach based in Japan to lead the squad, which currently ranks 30th in the world according to FIBA."

The 60-year-old Toews brings with him a wealth of coaching experience in the international scene. He previously had a stint in the prestigious Women’s Japan Basketball League, where he led the Fujitsu Red Waves to back-to-back championships in 2024 and 2025 and an All-Japan Championship in the same year.

In his 10-year run with the Red Waves, which featured the likes of Saki Hayashi and Mio Maezawa, Toews led the squad to five finals appearances and earned three Coach of the Year awards.

Now with Gilas, Toews will inherit a squad that has veterans Jack Animam, Afril Bernardino, and Janine Pontejos as well as young guns Angel Surada, Louna Ozar, and Kacey Dela Rosa.

Gilas is coming off a busy stretch that saw the Filipina ballers reclaim the gold medal at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, reach the quarterfinals of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup, and, most recently, secure a breakthrough victory on the world stage during the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers last March.

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA News