SBP announces Pat Aquino's departure from Gilas Women coaching duties

Gilas Women

A new era has dawned in Philippine basketball, as the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) announces on Saturday that it will conduct a search for a new senior women's national team head coach.

After more than a decade of serving as the mentor for Gilas Pilipinas Women, Patrick Aquino is moving into a new role with the federation, with the focus centered towards talent identification and grassroots development on the girls’ side, along with Program Director Norman Black.

“The SBP thanks coach Patrick Aquino for everything that he has done for the program and for all his efforts in the development of women’s basketball in the country,” said SBP President Ricky Vargas. “But now it’s time to move forward and do more for Gilas Pilipinas Women and the entire women’s basketball community in the country.”

He adds, "The landscape of women’s basketball is changing as we’re seeing Filipina talent sprouting from all over the world. The talent of our Filipina players is also being recognized as doors are opening for them all over the world. We need to harness all of this into our team. This is a crucial period where we really need to invest in the growth of our women’s program as we look forward to hosting the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in 2027."

In concluding his statement, Vargas shares, "The SBP believes that our Filipina basketball players are good enough not just to be on the same court as these world-class teams, but good enough to beat them. This is why the federation is committed to investing more in our women’s program, and it will start with our search for a new Gilas Pilipinas Women head coach."

It was under the auspices of Aquino that Gilas Women made its historic ascent to its current heights. The Philippines claimed its first three gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games for women's basketball, including the latest edition in the just-concluded edition last year in Thailand. At the same time, Gilas Women and Gilas Youth have secured and retained their spots in Division A at the continental level.

With the search underway, the SBP will leave no stone unturned to find Aquino's successor. According to Executive Director Erika Dy, "We’re going to have a thorough process to determine who will lead Gilas Pilipinas Women moving forward. We don’t have clear prospects yet, but the search begins now."

She adds, “We’re not limiting ourselves to looking for local coaches, as our plan is really to land the best option possible. If that means hiring from abroad, that’s what we will do.”

The Philippines is fresh from their participation in the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Lyon, where they finished with a 1-4 record, losing their matches against France, Germany, Nigeria and Korea Republic, before wrapping up their campaign with a victory against Colombia.

Even with their elimination from participation in next year's World Cup in Germnay next year, the country still has an active calendar ahead, with their upcoming stints this August for the FIBA Women's Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament and the Asian Games in Japan this September.