All news tagged SamahangBasketbolngPilipinas

For the first time in history, the Gilas Pilipinas Women are poised to chase a spot in the FIBA Women’s World Cup.

The Filipinas clinched a berth in the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying tournament after narrowly defeating Lebanon, 73-70, during the group stage of the 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup on Wednesday, July 16, at the Shenzhen Sports Center in Shenzhen, China.

This crucial win propelled the Philippines into the quarterfinals of the Women’s Asia Cup and guaranteed them an automatic place in the World Cup qualifiers, courtesy of a secured top-six finish in the tournament.

“This win represents everything that we’ve been working hard for in the last 10 years or so. We’re glad to be competing and not just staying in Division A, but we still have to improve and we hope we level up again soon,” said Gilas Women’s head coach Pat Aquino.

Five Gilas players scored in double figures in the hard-fought victory, led by Naomi Panganiban’s 15 points, highlighted by two clutch free throws with just 8.3 seconds left.

Sumayah Sugapong iced two crucial free throws at the 2:18 mark in the fourth quarter to give the Philippines a 71-66 lead, but Lebanon clawed back, trimming the deficit to just 71-69 with 1:15 to play. After Sugapong missed a potential game-sealing three, Lebanon’s Jillian Archer split her free throws, making it 71-70 with under a minute remaining.

Panganiban then calmly knocked down her pressure-packed free throws to stretch the lead to 73-70, and Lebanon failed to attempt a game-tying three as time expired.

Sugapong and Jack Animam each added 14 points for Gilas, with Animam also hauling down a game-high 16 rebounds. Vanessa de Jesus chipped in 13 points, while Kacey dela Rosa contributed 10, helping the team withstand blowing a 17-point first-quarter lead.

The Philippines overcame a stellar performance from Archer, who tallied a game-high 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting and 10 rebounds for Lebanon.

Gilas Women finished third in Group B with a 1-2 record. They will take a one-day break on Thursday, July 17, before facing the No. 2 seed from Group A in the quarterfinals on Friday, July 18, at 4:30 pm.

The Scores:

PHILIPPINES 73 – Panganiban 15, Sugapong 14, Animam 14, De Jesus 13, Dela Rosa 10, Pastrana 7, Castillo 0, Fajardo 0, Surada 0, Ozar 0, Pagdulagan 0.

LEBANON 70 – Archer 23, Akl 13, Elias 10, Mansour 7, Naassan 6, Ghaleb 6, Fayad 3, Labban 2, Raffoul 0.

Quarters: 29-12, 41-37, 55-57, 73-70.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) and the Gilas Pilipinas national team are in a holding pattern as they await word from FIBA regarding the status of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup, originally slated to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from August 5 to 17.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) and Gilas Pilipinas are awaiting word from FIBA officials if the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 will push through in Jeddah as there is a tension rising between Iran and Israel.

The tournament’s staging is now uncertain amid growing tensions in the Middle East, particularly the escalating conflict involving Iran and Israel. With safety concerns looming, national federations and participating teams are left in a state of limbo, including the Philippines, which is among the 16 teams set to compete.

The East Asia Super League (EASL) and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) are set to launch Future Champions Philippines this September, a program aimed at young basketball enthusiasts across the country.

Under the EASL Future Champions Philippines program, the initiative promotes high-quality basketball training and elite-level competition, offering young players meaningful community engagement and opportunities for success not only in national competitions but also on the international stage.

This marks a significant step by SBP in focusing on youth development in Philippine basketball.

The EASL Future Champions initiative consists of two main components:

1. Grassroots Program

This will focus on talent development camps and community outreach, strengthening the foundation of basketball starting at the youngest levels.

2. Elite Program

Launching in March 2026, this will become the premier youth performance program across Asia. Selected athletes will receive world-class coaching, international exposure, and continuous career development support.

The goal of both programs is to provide a structured pathway for young Asian players to find basketball opportunities both within and beyond the ASEAN region.

Through this initiative, SBP aligns itself with the EASL’s mission—a mission that is also recognized and supported by FIBA at all levels of basketball, from grassroots development to the national team.

According to Henry Kerins, CEO of EASL, SBP is fully committed to developing young talent and providing them with leadership experiences that foster both personal growth and basketball skills.

“SBP brings the leadership, experience, and infrastructure to make EASL Future Champions the premium youth development program in the Philippines,” said Kerins.

He added that EASL leadership is proud of SBP’s initiative and willingness to collaborate for the benefit of Filipino youth.

“We’re proud to be working alongside them to build something that can create real impact,” Kerins added.

Meanwhile, SBP President Al Panlilio emphasized that EASL’s vision for Filipino youth aligns closely with SBP’s goals for nurturing the next generation of basketball players.

“EASL’s vision matches our commitment to the next generation. We’re excited to help shape the future of grassroots basketball together,” said Panlilio.

Currently, the Philippines is the first country in the region to be part of the EASL Future Champions initiative. Macau and Hong Kong are set to follow, as EASL continues its efforts to raise the level of youth basketball across Asia.

Gilas Pilipinas is keenly monitoring Kai Sotto’s situation as they are facing the possibility of missing his services following an apparent left knee injury he sustained during Koshigaya Alphas’ loss to Mikawa Seahorses, 77-79, in the 2025 season of Japan B.League at Kariyashi Taiikukan Arena over the weekend.

Sotto appeared to have suffered the injury after his left knee buckled awkwardly in the first quarter of the game while aiming a post-up move against Seahorses’ Zach Auguste. 

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) is hoping there is no major damage to the knee of the 7-foot-3 Gilas center. SBP executive director Erika Dy stated that they cannot make any conclusions about his status as they are awaiting the result of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on Sotto.

In response to questions about the potential effect on the squad, Gilas head coach Tim Cone confirmed that Japeth Aguilar would be prepared to take Sotto's place if he couldn't play.

“Well, that’s why we have Japeth. Japeth is there to replace any of the bigs that we have. And if you can tell me there’s another big (one) out there that matches Japeth’s size and ability, then I’ll be happy to look at him,” Cone said.