Gilas Women coach: 'We're headed in the right direction'
Gilas Pilipinas women's basketball coach Burke Toews remains optimistic about the team's future despite an early exit from the 2026 FIBA Olympic pre-qualifying tournament. Toews emphasized that the team is developing its identity and improving its execution after a hard-fought win against Senegal.
Why it matters
The performance provides insight into the development and competitive trajectory of the Philippine national women's basketball program.
The Gilas Pilipinas women’s team might have suffered an early exit in the 2026 FIBA Olympic pre-qualifying tournament but head coach Burke ‘BT’ Toews believes his team took away valuable lessons in the three games they played.
Even with the 1-2 record in his first tournament with the team, Toews sees the Nationals heading into the right direction, just by looking at how much that team had improved through the games.
The veteran internationalist, however, admitted that the team is still finding its identity.
“One (win) doesn't give you an identity but we’re definitely headed in the right direction,” said Toews after Gilas held off Senegal, 79-75 to exit the tournament with a win.
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