By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Bacolodnon guard Ella Fajardo is set to spearhead the Gilas Pilipinas national women’s basketball team that will compete in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup pre-qualifying tournament campaign in Kigali, Rwanda.

Fajardo, a standout of the Iona University Gaels, is part of the 11-player Gilas Pilipinas women that will face the no. 8 Brazil, no. 16 Hungary and no. 25 Senegal in the tournament.

Also in the Gilas Pilipinas women roster are Jack Danielle Animam, Afril Bernardino, Janine Pontejos, Stephanie Berberabe, Khate Castillo, Louna Ozar, Camille Nolasco, Kacey dela Rosa, Kristan Yumul, and Naomi Panganiban.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Erika Dy admitted that the tournament will be tough for the Gilas Pilipinas women, but the experience they will gain from the qualifiers will be useful to the team in the long run.

“Moving up the rankings means we’ll have to learn how to step outside our comfort zone,” Dy said.

“Our women’s team has shown us they can be competitive in the region, but there’s still a lot of work to be done to reach the next level,” she said.

“Joining competitions like this and going up against highly-ranked opponents will only make our players better and give our program a clear idea on what we need to do to get better,” she added.

Gilas Pilipinas women, which is competing outside the FIBA Asia borders for the first time, booked a ticket to Rwanda after their sixth-place finish in the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2023 in Australia./ASC, WDJ